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The Elegant Universe

 
The Elegant Universe

 
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The Elegant Universe
 
 
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The Elegant Universe is a book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
 by Brian Greene
Brian Greene

Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and one of the best-known Super-string theory. Since 1996 he has been a professor at Columbia University....
 published in 1999 which introduces string theory
Superstring theory

Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the Elementary particle and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modelling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetry strings....
 and provides a comprehensive though non-technical assessment of the theory and some of its shortcomings.

book is divided into three themes in the following parts:



nning with a brief consideration of classical physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes an historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic
Probability

Probability, or wikt:chance, is a way of expressing knowledge or belief that an Event will occur or has occurred. In mathematics the concept has been given an exact meaning in probability theory, that is used extensively in such areas of study as mathematics, statistics, finance, gambling, science, and philosophy to draw conclusions about t...
 world of the standard model
Standard Model

The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory of three of the four known fundamental interactions and the elementary particles that take part in these interactions....
 of particle physics
Particle physics

Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
 and the deterministic Newtonian physics
Classical mechanics

Classical mechanics is used for describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, as well as astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies....
 of the macroscopic
Macroscopic

Macroscopic is a word commonly used to describe physics objects that are measurement and observation by the naked eye. When applied to phenomena and abstract objects, it describes existence in the world as we perceive it....
 world.






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Encyclopedia


The Elegant Universe is a book
Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side....
 by Brian Greene
Brian Greene

Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and one of the best-known Super-string theory. Since 1996 he has been a professor at Columbia University....
 published in 1999 which introduces string theory
Superstring theory

Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the Elementary particle and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modelling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetry strings....
 and provides a comprehensive though non-technical assessment of the theory and some of its shortcomings.

Themes

The book is divided into three themes in the following parts:

  • Part I: The Edge of Knowledge
  • Part II: The Dilemma of Space, Time, and the Quanta
  • Part III: The Cosmic Symphony
  • Part IV: String Theory and the Fabric of Spacetime
  • Part V: Unification in the Twenty-First Century


Contents

Beginning with a brief consideration of classical physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes an historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic
Probability

Probability, or wikt:chance, is a way of expressing knowledge or belief that an Event will occur or has occurred. In mathematics the concept has been given an exact meaning in probability theory, that is used extensively in such areas of study as mathematics, statistics, finance, gambling, science, and philosophy to draw conclusions about t...
 world of the standard model
Standard Model

The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory of three of the four known fundamental interactions and the elementary particles that take part in these interactions....
 of particle physics
Particle physics

Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the elementary particle constituents of matter and radiation, and the interactions between them....
 and the deterministic Newtonian physics
Classical mechanics

Classical mechanics is used for describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, as well as astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies....
 of the macroscopic
Macroscopic

Macroscopic is a word commonly used to describe physics objects that are measurement and observation by the naked eye. When applied to phenomena and abstract objects, it describes existence in the world as we perceive it....
 world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a Germany-born theoretical physics. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass?energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2....
's theory of General Relativity
General relativity

General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the Geometry Theoretical physics of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916....
 and Quantum Mechanics
Quantum mechanics

Quantum mechanics is a set of principles underlying the most fundamental known description of all physical systems at the microscopic scale . Notable amongst these principles are both a dual wave-like and particle-like behavior of matter and radiation, and prediction of probabilities in situations where classical physics predicts certaintie...
. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman
Layman

The term "layman" originated from the use of the term laity, but over the centuries, changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of knowledge....
 to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory
Unified field theory

In physics, a unified field theory is a type of field theory that allows all of the fundamental forces between elementary particles to be written in terms of a single field ....
 of physics.

Adaptations

The Elegant Universe was adapted for a three hour program in three parts for television broadcast in late 2003 on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an United States non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States....
 series NOVA
NOVA (TV series)

Nova is a popular science television series from the United States produced by WGBH-TV Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries....
.

  • Einstein's Dream
  • Strings The Thing
  • Welcome To The 11th Dimension


The Elegant Universe was also interpreted by choreographer Karole Armitage
Karole Armitage

Karole Armitage is an American dancer and choreographer from Lawrence, Kansas who is based in New York City. Armitage trained with a number of different companies, including the Geneva Opera Ballet and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and worked with influential dancers and choreographers including Rudolf Nureyev and David Salle....
, of Armitage Gone! Dance, in New York City. A performance of the work-in-progress formed part of the inaugural World Science Festival
World Science Festival

The World Science Festival is a science festival held in New York City, and is planned as an annual event. The inaugural festival consisted mainly of panel discussions and on-stage conversations, accompanied by multimedia presentations....
.

See also

  • Quantum mechanics
    Quantum mechanics

    Quantum mechanics is a set of principles underlying the most fundamental known description of all physical systems at the microscopic scale . Notable amongst these principles are both a dual wave-like and particle-like behavior of matter and radiation, and prediction of probabilities in situations where classical physics predicts certaintie...
  • The Fabric of the Cosmos
    The Fabric of the Cosmos

    The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality is the second book on theoretical physics, physical cosmology and string theory written by Brian Greene, professor and co-director of Columbia University Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics ....
  • Warped Passages
    Warped Passages

    Warped Passages is a book by Lisa Randall, published in 2005, about particle physics in general and additional dimensions of space in particular....
  • The Road to Reality
  • Three Roads to Quantum Gravity
    Three Roads to Quantum Gravity

    Three Roads to Quantum Gravity is a 2001 book by theoretical physicist Lee Smolin. He discusses three potential approaches by which a unified theory of quantum gravity, arguably the foremost issue in theoretical physics, may be realized....
  • The Trouble With Physics
    The Trouble with Physics

    The Trouble With Physics is a 2006 book on the merits of string theory by the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin which generated much controversy and debate and was criticised by some leading physicists including string theorists Joseph Polchinski and Lubo? Motl....


External links

  • A three-hour miniseries
    Miniseries

    A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes....
     with Brian Greene
    Brian Greene

    Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and one of the best-known Super-string theory. Since 1996 he has been a professor at Columbia University....
    .


  • of Armitage's adaptation, produced by the New York Academy of Sciences
    New York Academy of Sciences

    The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than 25,000 members in 140 countries, the Academy?s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology....