Review
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Stephen Hawking's The Theory of Everything is a short book
that can act as an introduction to the subjects of cosmology
raised by modern science, but the book is only that; I preferred
his Brief History of Time to this work because it was longer,
more detailed, and covered more ground. If you are looking for a
very basic introduction to the current thinking of
astrophysicists, this is a good book; if you really want to
wrestle with the subject at length, you should buy a Brief
History of Time, or one of Paul Davies works, such as About Time.
If you are looking for a good lecture series on physics, Richard
Feynman's Six Easy Pieces and its sequel, Six Not So Easy Pieces
is really the finest of this genre. That being said, the book
does a good job in outlining the basic subject matter, discussing
the development of the Big Bang theory, and the implications of
both the general theory of relativity and quantum physics on the
formation of the universe. Hawking is at his best when discussing
singularities -- the points of the universe, such as black holes,
where the laws of physics break down. --By D. W. Casey on June
27, 2002
This is a collection of seven related lectures by Hawking
originally published in 1996 under the title, The Cambridge
Lectures: Life Works. He does not cover as much ground here as in
did in A Brief History of Time, but what he does cover he does so
in a charming and engaging style. There are some few statements
here that could be interpreted as less than modest--although not
by me--and a mistaken prediction or two, which may be a reason
that Hawking is not pleased with this book's publication. He
might also object to the title, since neither a "Theory of
Everything" nor a conclusive answer to the origin and e of the
universe are presented. However, Hawking does address these
questions, and his expression is interesting to read and has the
agreeable characteristic of being laconic. There are no equations
in the book, no mathematics as such, and everything is explained
in language that would be intelligible to a high school student.
There are the usual droll Hawking jokes about God and His
intentions, facetious, epigram-like understatements (I have done
a lot of work on black holes, and it would all be wasted if it
turned out that black holes do not exist. p. 66) and witty asides
about the convergence of politics on physics, as when he mentions
a particle accelerator the size of the Solar System that "would
not be funded under current economic conditions." --By Dennis
Littrell on March 23, 2003
this is one of the most interesting book . hawking has explained
the whole universe very briefly . the book explains following
things deeply *ideas about universe *expanding universe *black
holes *origin and e of universe *the direction of time * the
theory of everything the book explains everything from beginning
to the end of universe. it shows the interaction between science
and natural powers. science lovers it will lead ur knowledge to a
next level --By Shiva Thakur on 30 Sep 2012
About the Author
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Stephen Hawking is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Cambridge and author of A Brief History of Time
which was an international bestseller. His other books for the
general reader include A Briefer History of Time, the essay
collection Black Holes and Baby Universe and The Universe in a
Nutshell. In 1963, Hawking contracted motor neurone disease and
was given two years to live. Yet he went on to Cambridge to
become a brilliant researcher and Professorial Fellow at Gonville
and Caius College. Since 1979 he has held the post of Lucasian
Professor at Cambridge, the chair held by Isaac Newton in 1663.
Professor Hawking has over a dozen honorary degrees and was
awarded the CBE in 1982. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and
a Member of the US National Academy of Science. Stephen Hawking
is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists
since Einstein.