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The Infinite Cosmos: Questions from the Frontiers of Cosmology
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.1
EAN: 9780199533619
ISBN: 019953361X
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 256
Publication Date: April 07, 2008
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
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Editorial Review:
In The Infinite Cosmos Joseph Silk takes the reader on a tour of the universe, past, present, and future, showing how the very latest observations and theories are unlocking clues about its origin and structure: X-ray, radio, and high-energy views of the most distant reaches of the universe. Theories from the frontiers of current research seek to explain its structure from the first moments to the present day, and we are beginning to understand its extraordinary nature and possible fate.
This is a story involving the visible and the invisible; subatomic particles and unusual forces; long ages of darkness and spectacular and violent events. It tells of supernovae, dark matter, dark energy, curved spacetime, colliding galaxies, and supermassive black holes. Weaving the ideas of poets and writers as well as scientists into the story, from Kant and Keats to Einstein and Lemaitre, Silk explains our present state of knowledge, and how much more there is to understand about our infinite cosmos.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Dense and Difficult
As a general rule, I enjoy reading books about what is currently happening in physics. I enjoy them because I studied physics in school and taught it for many years. Not only am I trying to keep current myself, but I am also looking for things that will help my students understand physics a little better. Unfortunately, though Dr. Silk is clearly up on what is happening, he doesn't communicate it very well. This is not a book I would pass on to my students.
When it comes right down ... Read More
Rating:  - Where does it end?
Joseph Silk, a leading cosmologist, gives his latest take on the scientific quest to comprehend our universe, its origins, and where it is going.
I've read Silk's book on the Big Bang (which can be considered a companion volume) and he is able to explain scientific cosmology in fairly understandable terms. Unfortunately given the scales of time and space involved, many of which are far removed from our ordinary experience, the heavy use of arcane physical concepts and mathematical ideas ... Read More
Rating: - He Shares the Sense of Awe We All Have
The best thing about this book is the sense of awe that Dr. Silk brings to his explanation of the cosmos. I do not see how anyone can look at the truly amazing discoveries, pictures, and happenings that have been announced in recent years without standing in awe. And this awe comes through on virtually every page. Combine this with the clear writing style, no math, and you have quite a book.
Another aspect of the book that comes through strongly is just how completely Einstein's General ... Read More
Rating: - Why I Rate Silk (of all people) with mediocrity
With humility, I appear to be at the head of the queue. I was immediately captivated by the quote from Oscar Wilde on page 3: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Joseph Silk is doubtless among the latter. His erudition is immense, and I hold his professional work in highest esteem. I enjoyed reading this "popular account" immensely. I admire his eclecticism in including a quote from Feyerabend, with which I also agree (despite the anarchist philosophy of science and ... Read More
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