Monday, June 12, 2017

Quantum gravity book

I just finished "Reality Is Not What It Seems" by Carlo Rovelli. It's been quite a while since I have read any physics books. It used to be something I did on a regular basis but I always struggled finding books that didn't heavily lean on advanced math. I have no interest in dusting off my calculus books to try to decipher the complex equations used in this field. I think the most rudimentary equations surpass my abilities to comprehend the intent anyway. Rovelli does a nice job of being light on equations but still providing them via footnotes for those that are able to follow along. The first half of the book is a summary of the history of physics that I believe every student should read. The second half of the book is a laypersons guide to a variety of quantum topics. While I t's a layperson's guide, it has some really challenging concepts. An example of which is that there is a minimum size in the universe, a Planck length, which is about 10 ^-33 centimeters. Accordingly
, he makes the assertion that anywhere that infinity is used in physics equations is probably incorrect as there is no such thing as infinitely small or large.
This book is definitely worth a read for anyone with an interest in the mysteries of how our world is constructed.

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