Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation and Time Travel
Product Details | Similar Products | Customer Reviews | Author: Michio Kaku List Price: £20.00 Our Price: £14.00 You Save: £6.00 (30%) Availability: Usually dispatched within 6 to 11 days  |
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 | Product Details: Hardcover 352 pages Release Date: 03 April 2008 Publisher: Allen Lane ISBN: 0713999926 Rating:   Sales Rank: 27842 | | Look for similar books by subject:
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| | Customer Reviews: Kaku does it again. (27 December 2008)After reading Michio Kaku's Hyperspace some ten years ago, It's good to see his ability to turn vast, cosmological theories into palatable prose for ordinary humans remains undiminished. Most of the common tropes of science fiction are looked at and discussed with relation to modern real-world physics and experiments that may lead us towards such inventions. There are very few examples which Kaku labels as genuinely impossible, and there is a sense of optimism in his writing that is almost contagious. If you have seen his television work then this will not come as a surprise, but it is, for a book on high-end physics - easy going and hard to put down. If you enjoy science fiction and want to know more of the science then this is a great place to start. Exploring the boundaries of physics and fiction (11 December 2008)This is the first time that I've bought a Michio Kaku book, although I've enjoyed the TV programmes that he has created over the last few years. When I heard him being interviewed about this new book, I knew immediately that it would be right up my street, and I have not been dissappointed. Kaku is a real physicist, and it's nice to see that he's also well versed in popular culture. He takes examples of technologies from popular fantasy and science fiction (like Star Trek, Harry Potter and Back to the Future) and analyzes the physics, categorizing each thing into three levels of impossibility. He covers faster than light travel, death rays, invisibility, time travel, and many other things that SciFi writers have come to rely on. A very entertaining book, and really a must for anyone that enjoys reading about physics. It's a good book though small flaws noticed (18 June 2008)I found this book to be very clear in its discussions and explanations of 'difficult' physics. My only quibble is precognition - I have experienced precognition several times and I don't agree with the author that it is impossible. On the boundaries of science and fiction (05 June 2008)Michio Kaku takes a pleasant verbal stroll along science fiction classics like force fields, time travel, parallel universes, telepathy, artificial intelligence and the like, while explaining the physics that would be involved in making these come true. Quite a lot more is physically possible than one would think. Mr Kaku does a fine job of systematically exploring the boundaries of science and fiction. Unfortunately, his prose is rather bland and the anekdotes - the icing on the cake in books like this - lack the liveliness that is needed for a really gripping read. For readers who prefer content over style this should be no deterrent. An entralling high level snapshot that challenges possibilities (23 April 2008)Got this book and finished it the day after it arrived. Captivating stuff ! As a high level introduction to the current state of a variety of scientific areas it's fantastic. Kaku tends to spend a little more time on the areas close to him, but everthing gets good coverage. As a springboard to understand current progress it allows the reader to go off and find more information on the particular subject areas that interest them. I read it in the same week as Ray Kurzweil's 'The Singularity is Near' and it's interesting to see both the overlap, and how things have moved on in 5 years. All in all a great book for the layman and those with a scientific background. Oh, and a great price for a hardback book right now :) | |
