Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book

Hot Search

The Future of Spacetime

stephen hawking kip s. thorne igor novikov timothy ferris alan lightman

... Show More
Where the science of black holes, gravitational waves, and time travel will likely lead us, as reported by spacetime's most important theoreticians and observers. Our minds tell us that some things in the universe must be true. The New Physics tells us that they are not, and in the process, blurs the line between science and science fiction. Here are six accessible essays by those who walk that line, moving ever further out in discovering the patterns of nature, aimed at readers who share their fascination with the deepest mysteries of the universe.

• Richard Price: "An Introduction to Spacetime Physics"
• Stephen Hawking: "Chronology Protection"
• Igor Novikov: "Can We Change the Past?"
• Kip S. Thorne: "Speculations about the Future"
• Timothy Ferris: "On the Popularization of Science"
• Alan Lightman: "The Physicist as Novelist"

222 pages, Paperback

First published May 1,2002

This edition

Format
222 pages, Paperback
Published
June 17, 2003 by W. W. Norton \u0026 Company
ISBN
9780393324464
ASIN
039332446X
Language
English

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for stephen hawking

stephen hawking

... Show More
Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.
Hawking was born in Oxford into a family of physicians. In October 1959, at the age of 17, he began his university education at University College, Oxford, where he received a first-class BA degree in physics. In October 1962, he began his graduate work at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where, in March 1966, he obtained his PhD degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, specialising in general relativity and cosmology. In 1963, at age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over decades, paralysed him. After the loss of his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.
Hawking's scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Initially, Hawking radiation was controversial. By the late 1970s, and following the publication of further research, the discovery was widely accepted as a major breakthrough in theoretical physics. Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He was a vigorous supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discussed his theories and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He died in 2018 at the age of 76, having lived more than 50 years following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease.

Readers also enjoyed

Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 24 votes)
5 stars
9(38%)
4 stars
9(38%)
3 stars
6(25%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
24 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
RogerZaraki
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
Infinite expansion, Big Crunch, singularity, static... There are many hypotheses about the fate of the Universe. Of them all, the theory of black hole evaporation formulated by Stephen Hawking is among the most fascinating. It is a model developed by Michael Wondrak, Walter van Sujlekom and Heino Falcke, astrophysicists at Radboud University in the Netherlands. According to this theory, the Universe is slowly evaporating. In this book, the two outstanding authors trace fascinating theoretical models related to space and time, their meaning in the immediate and ultimate cosmic boundary. The style is not academic, but like a conversation between friends. Wonderful.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Legebro
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
Spacetime =Matter + Energy.
POSTED BY ME AT AMAZON 2002
We have 4 scientific essays here, about space, gravity and possibilities of traveling in time, many drawings, figures and pictures and only two math equations.
However, this writings are, in my opinion, for "advanced" laymen, who collect, cherish and have fully digested at least a "Brief History of Time" or other popular science books dealing with cosmology, quantum and relativity.
Introduction (essay number one) by Richard Price presents known facts about relativity, but author uses innovative way to teach us about different types of transformation between reference frames. With elegance he introduces concept of spacetime diagrams and worldliness. Good beginning.
Then comes Igor Novikov: his essay straightforward and easy to read. Supported by well designed drawings it explains how the wormhole can work and why it is rather impossible to kill your grandfather by traveling to the past.
If you have his book "River of Time", you will know what I am talking about.
Third essay by Stephen Hawking is rather hardly digestible highbrow dissertation, with plenty of inward shortcuts. Drawings and figures are not clear and without indications to which part of the text they belong. This part of the book is least meritorious, but... help can be found later.
The most impressive essay by Kip Thorne creates the hub of the book. Kip Thorne has proposed Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in 1984 and is a cofounder of this project. He also believes in potential of a String Theory.
Thorne's current writing is an excellent addition to his famous book "Black Holes and Time Warps" published 8 years ago. He predicts now many interesting discoveries related to LIGO/LISA gravity waves project. If successful, this project will greatly contribute to new theory connecting general relativity with quantum fields and will help to solve mysteries of neutron stars and singularities. History of Thorne's bets with Hawking is funny and adds flavor to this chapter.
End of the book contains Glossary (whole 17 pages of it) and I read it with a big pleasure since this helped me to understand Hawking's text.
Last two essays about skills of popular writing in science were also interesting but of a less importance to me...
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ScarletCat
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
Algunos ensayos estaban realmente excelentes. Sin embargo, como la mayoría de los libros de "divulgación científica" creo que no es apto para todo público, ya que requiere muchos conocimientos previos de física avanzada.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Nikkon
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
I've never seen a group of authors more enthusiastic about killing their own grandfathers. These dudes are quite morbid.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
MrRandomGUYS
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
Hawking and Thorne stand out in this collection. As a collection of lectures, don't expect the science here to be diluted or awash in new-age speculation.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
SoLongGayBowser
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
... Show More
The Future of Spacetime was a hodgepodge, but a good hodgepodge. It's a collection of essays written regarding a research focus of Kip Thorne, who at the time of writing, had just celebrated KipFest: the 60th birthday celebration for one of physics' celebrated authors and thinkers.

Each essay took a decidedly different tone, with the preface, and first few essays delving into ever-deeper scientific concepts and jargon. I'll admit that I skipped a couple of pages in Hawking's essay when the terms got too technical and precise for me to follow. It was not one of his better attempts at science writing, going for esoteric over clear.

The real gem for me, and the reason it's rated four instead of three stars is the final essay by a gentleman whose name I forget and who I'm too lazy to get up and check. He's a fiction writer and physicist who studied under Kip Thorne. His essay covers his thoughts on the differences (and some similarities) between conducting physics and writing fiction. I felt myself drawn in when he started discussing an event very familiar to me, but one which I've only rarely heard discussed by anyone else: the removal of from one's conscious mind to a place of tranquil serenity in a place wholly mental, when body falls away. I've felt it in books, in the eureka moments of science and mathematics when a concept coalesces, and in moments with God. Reading this, expounded well, but expounded at all, was worth the extra star. Check it out.
0 0 Reply
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.