Looking for new physics books

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Looking for new physics books
11
Sat, 05-14-2005 - 2:35pm

So I did The Elegant Universe about 5 years ago and would have to re-read it in order to have an intellegent conversation about it now, which I just might do. But I know there are plenty of updates to the theory at this point. There are a few posters here who mentioned enjoying the book and PBS series as well.


Also, Beyond Einstein was awesome, and Stephen Hawkins Brief History goes without saying. Anyone have another Brain Food book on their favorites list?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 05-14-2005 - 5:18pm

Beth,

One I loved was "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife. Wonderful book! It follows the number zero from it's birth to today's quantum theories. Lots of history, physics and it's very easy to follow. Very entertaining, especially a mathematical proof that Winston Churchill was a carrot! There are even detailed instructions on how to create your own wormhole! LOL

Here's the link to amazon.com...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140296476/qid=1116105073/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-0085948-1033649?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Jenn

 Jenn 



iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Sat, 05-14-2005 - 6:10pm
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! LOL!! Thanks, Jenn. I think I'll pick it up from Amazon today.

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Avatar for cl_ladibbug
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 05-14-2005 - 8:02pm

Jenn:


"Zero: The Biog. of a Dangerous Idea"... it is part of

Avatar for cl_ladibbug
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 05-15-2005 - 6:56pm

Beth,


The non-f "Electric Universe" (see below) was featured in March '05's Bookpage Mag:


http://www.bookpage.com/0503bp/david_bodanis.html


On a lighter note, "Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America With Einstein's Brain", non-f, by Michael Paterniti, is imho an excellent read...not pure science, but I loved it:



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/038533303X/qid=1116197409/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-1825823-9976730?v=glance&s=books&n=507846


Possibly Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"...not sure how scientific it is, but he's a terrific writer: www.billbryson.com


Let us know what you select!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-30-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 6:31am

Thanks, Teri! I'm so excited to actually have a Brain Food TBR list. I think I'll start with Zero and then try Driving Mr. Albert next. Maybe we can compare notes on Zero when you get it. Did you order from Overstock or Amazon?


I just got the Amazon Prime membership a few weeks ago and love the free 2 day shipping! It's the little things in life... ;-)

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Avatar for cl_ladibbug
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 9:59am

Hi Beth,


I was all set to order from overstock, then got an amazon gift cert., so ordered four books from them with certif.

Avatar for scrappy_ams
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Registered: 04-04-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 10:57am

Hi Beth! I don't have a physics rec., but thought I'd pass on my favorite nonfiction read of last year. It's called The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. It's about the Hmong community in the US and the major clash of cultures. It centers on a family with a little girl with a severe epileptic disorder and how the Americian medical community was extremely insensitive to the cultural differences. It was an incredible book and "brain candy" in a different way:)

Scrappy

Scrappy
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Registered: 05-30-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 11:18am

You've got a deal on Zero. I'm heading to the bookstore today though

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Registered: 05-30-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 10:14pm

Hey, thanks, Scrappy. You haven't steered my wrong yet! I'm taking Rachel on our first trip to the library this week (I'm a bookstore girl, but they have Storytime at the library) so I'll check it out while I'm there.

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Avatar for scrappy_ams
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Registered: 04-04-2003
Mon, 05-16-2005 - 11:19pm

Hi Beth! Good luck on your library trip:) I love going to story hour, but finding grown-up books with my kids in tow is always something of an adventure. I remember one trip when my daughter kept pulling out pink books for me to read and couldn't figure out why I didn't want to read them. It's usually not too bad if I just bring one kid along, but when it's all three, that can be a tad challenging:)

Scrappy

Scrappy

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