The Nature of Space and Time

by Stephen Hawking, Roger Penrose

Overview

From two of the world's great physicists—Stephen Hawking and Nobel laureate Roger Penrose—a lively debate about the nature of space and time

Einstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most accurate and successful theories in all of physics, be united into a single quantum theory of gravity? Can quantum and cosmos ever be combined? In The Nature of Space and Time, two of the world’s most famous physicists—Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time) and Roger Penrose (The Road to Reality)—debate these questions.

The authors outline how their positions have further diverged on a number of key issues, including the spatial geometry of the universe, inflationary versus cyclic theories of the cosmos, and the black-hole information-loss paradox. Though much progress has been made, Hawking and Penrose stress that physicists still have further to go in their quest for a quantum theory of gravity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400834747
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	02/08/2010
Series:	Princeton Science Library , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	532,836
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics Emeritus at the University of Cambridge. Roger Penrose is a Nobel Prize–winning physicist and the author of Cycles of Time and The Road to Reality (both Vintage). He is the Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics Emeritus at the University of Oxford.

Hometown:

Cambridge, England

Date of Birth:

January 8, 1942

Date of Death:

March 14, 2018

Place of Birth:

Oxford, England

Table of Contents

Foreword by Michael Atiyah vii
Acknowledgments ix
CHAPTER ONE Classical Theory, Stephen Hawking 3
CHAPTER TWO Structure of Spacetime Singularities, Roger Penrose 27
CHAPTER THREE Quantum Black Holes, Stephen Hawking 37
CHAPTER FOUR Quantum Theory and Spacetime, Roger Penrose 61
CHAPTER FIVE Quantum Cosmololgy, Stephen Hawking 75
CHAPTER SIX The Twistor View of Spacetime, Roger Penrose 105
CHAPTER SEVEN The Debate, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose 121
AFTERWORD TO THE 2010 EDITION The Debate Continues, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose 139
References 143

Editorial Reviews

This volume contains a series of lectures delivered in 1994 by Hawking (A Brief History of Time) and Penrose (The Emperor's New Mind), renowned professors at Cambridge and Oxford, respectively. The overall topic is how mathematical physics might best represent the realities of the universe. The lectures assume a rather sophisticated knowledge of physics and mathematics. The authors present alternative views on approaching a formulation that fully accommodates both quantum and gravitational (general relativity) theories in physics. One question, for example, is whether parameters in a quantum description of matter can have definite ("real") values before they are measured. The issues extend to cosmological implications and have intriguing philosophical as well as technical aspects. Although well done, the treatment in this book is not for the general reader. Illustrations. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Roger Penrose, Co-Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

From the Publisher

As well as providing an accurate scientific record of the lectures, the text has lost none of the drama of the original occasion, which stemmed from the almost antithetical views of the two protagonists on almost everything except the classical theory of general relativity.

Physics World - Gary Gibbons

I found great satisfaction and not inconsiderable benefit from my efforts. . . . The clarity and brilliance of Hawking's logic would break through in simple straightforward terms. . . . This provided a real thrill.

Boston Book Review - Lucy Horwitz

This is an interesting book to read now, but it promises to become an even more interesting book for future generations of physicists.

Science - Robert M. Wald

If there were such a thing as the World Professional Heavyweight Theory Debating Society, this would be the title bout.

Toronto Globe & Mail - Christopher Dornan

A debate between Hawking and Penrose ... raises the reader's expectations of a lively interaction, and this is fully borne out in the transcribed discussion.... Hawking's effervescent sense of humour frequently enlivens the text.

The Times Higher Education Supplement - Joseph Silk

Over the past thirty years, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose have done more than anyone to further our understanding of the nature of gravitation and cosmology. . . . The Nature of Space and Time is the result of their attempt to stage a structured dialogue about these problems, to isolate points of disagreement, and stimulate further investigation of these problems. . . . The debate between Hawking and Penrose is a live one between brilliant scientists. . . . This elegant little volume provides a clear account of two approaches to some of the greatest unsolved problems of gravitation and cosmology.

New Scientist - John Barrow

As well as providing an accurate scientific record of the lectures, the text has lost none of the drama of the original occasion, which stemmed from the almost antithetical views of the two protagonists on almost everything except the classical theory of general relativity.
— Gary Gibbons

Physics World

I found great satisfaction and not inconsiderable benefit from my efforts. . . . The clarity and brilliance of Hawking's logic would break through in simple straightforward terms. . . . This provided a real thrill.
— Lucy Horwitz

Boston Book Review

This is an interesting book to read now, but it promises to become an even more interesting book for future generations of physicists.
— Robert M. Wald

Science

If there were such a thing as the World Professional Heavyweight Theory Debating Society, this would be the title bout.
— Christopher Dornan

Toronto Globe & Mail

A debate between Hawking and Penrose ... raises the reader's expectations of a lively interaction, and this is fully borne out in the transcribed discussion.... Hawking's effervescent sense of humour frequently enlivens the text.
— Joseph Silk

The Times Higher Education Supplement

Over the past thirty years, Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose have done more than anyone to further our understanding of the nature of gravitation and cosmology. . . . The Nature of Space and Time is the result of their attempt to stage a structured dialogue about these problems, to isolate points of disagreement, and stimulate further investigation of these problems. . . . The debate between Hawking and Penrose is a live one between brilliant scientists. . . . This elegant little volume provides a clear account of two approaches to some of the greatest unsolved problems of gravitation and cosmology.
— John Barrow

New Scientist

A debate between Hawking and Penrose . . . raises the reader's expectations of a lively interaction, and this is fully bourne in the transcribed discussion. . . . Hawking's effervescent sense of humour frequently enlivens the text.
— Joseph Silk

Times Higher Education