Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos

by Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw

Overview

An awe-inspiring, unforgettable journey of scientific exploration from Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, the international bestselling authors of Why Does E=MC2? and The Quantum Universe, with 55 black-&-white and 45 full-color pages featuring photographs, diagrams, maps, tables, and graphs.

We dare to imagine a time before the Big Bang, when the entire universe was compressed into a space smaller than an atom. And now, as Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw show, we can do more than imagine: we can understand.

Universal takes us on an epic journey of scientific exploration. It reveals how we can all come to grips with some of the most fundamental questions about our Earth, Sun, and solar system—and the star-filled galaxies beyond. How big is our solar system? How quickly is space expanding? How big is the universe? What is it made of? Some of these questions can be answered on the basis of observations you can make in your own backyard. Other answers draw on the astonishing information now being gathered by teams of astronomers operating at the frontiers of the known universe.

At the heart of all this lies the scientific method. Science reveals a deeper beauty and connects us to each other, to our world, and to our universe. Science reaches out into the unknown. As Universal demonstrates, if we dare to imagine, we can do the same.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306822704
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Brian Cox, OBE, FRS, is a Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester and the Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science. His many highly acclaimed BBC television documentaries include, most recently, Human Universe and Forces of Nature.

Jeff Forshaw is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Manchester, specializing in the physics of elementary particles. He was awarded the Institute of Physics Maxwell Medal in 1999 for outstanding contributions to theoretical physics.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/23/2017
Acclaimed British physicists Cox and Forshaw (The Quantum Universe) team up once again in this accessible, lucid, and entertaining introduction to cutting-edge astrophysics and cosmology. Revealing how scientists explore the universe, the authors celebrate the scientific method as much as the scientific discoveries they address. They begin close to home, asking “How old is the Earth?” That simple question leads naturally through discussions of plate tectonics, atomic structure, and radioisotope dating while demonstrating the roots of the scientific method: observing and collecting evidence, and applying logic to reach conclusions. From here, it’s smooth sailing through increasingly complex topics. Determining astronomical distance introduces such concepts as Cepheid variable stars, supernovas, and redshift. Pondering the Earth’s weight leads to measuring gravity with a watch, a ball, and a ruler. The authors also proffer an inventory of the universe and dig into the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. At the book’s core are the Big Bang and considerations of relativity theory, gravity, and curved spacetime. The minimal-math approach progresses from simple to complex ideas, and detailed diagrams and colorful photographs help illuminate concepts. Curious readers will appreciate how Cox and Forshaw celebrate the scientific process as heartily as they embrace the wonder of the universe. Illus. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Brian Cox [is] perhaps the most popular scientist of the 21st century."—The National

"[An] accessible, lucid, and entertaining introduction to cutting-edge astrophysics and cosmology. Revealing how scientists explore the universe, the authors celebrate the scientific method as much as the scientific discoveries they address...It's smooth sailing through increasingly complex topics...Curious readers will appreciate how Cox and Forshaw celebrate the scientific process as heartily as they embrace the wonder of the universe."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Readers...will gain a more significant understanding of some profound cosmological phenomena."

—Kirkus Reviews

"Some readers eat popular physics for breakfast. Others yearn for a single simple volume to bring them up to speed, thereby freeing them for the fun stuff (life sciences, tech stories, cat videos). Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw will satisfy both audiences with their broad-brush account of the physical world that still finds room for uncertainty, controversy-even a little light maths. Rarely has a difficult subject been rendered so accessible."—New Scientist

"This is a book about means and processes but also about wonder...Cox and fellow celebrity scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson have taken the mantel of generational science communicators once carried by Carl Sagan and Bill Nye...Universal is a bulwark providing an overview of how far we've come in understanding our universe and a taste of where we will go. As our professors and guides, Cox and Forshaw require our curiosity and patience. Passages will be reread. Graphs will be stared at indefinitely without guarantee of comprehension. By the end you will be rewarded with a little understanding and some hope for the future (which is also in great demand in these precarious times)."—Spectrum Culture

"Physicists Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw reach for the stars and lasso the moon in Universal."—Vanity Fair



"This book distinguishes itself by its emphasis on measurement...The book is well indexed and enjoyable. Beginning undergraduates and general readers will find it engaging and informative. Recommended."
—Choice

"This is the story of our universe with cosmological events laid out in clear, fantastic detail...A careful read of this beautiful, slender volume will enlighten the reader and stretch the brain."—Internet Review of Books

From the Publisher

2017-01-16
Two physicists lead a tour of our universe and explain how we can better understand it by "doing science."Authors who take on cosmology have a difficult job. Many concepts (relativity, quantum phenomena) are complex, and even familiar ones, like gravity and light, need at least a little mathematics to make sense. Since equations are often considered the kiss of death regarding sales to general readership, popular science writers traditionally assure readers that none will sully their texts. Even in skilled hands, the simplification and/or absence of math converts much of cosmology into a magic show. Although they're entertained, readers must accept many phenomena on faith. This is not a problem since few creationists read these books, but TV commentator Cox (Particle Physics/Univ. of Manchester) and Forshaw (Theoretical Physics/Univ. of Manchester), who have co-authored multiple books, including The Quantum Universe (2012), refuse to take that approach. The authors not only describe what cosmologists have learned over the centuries, but how they proved it, and there is no shortage of math. As they note, "anybody, standing in their back garden with a reasonably sized amateur telescope…can prove that we live in an expanding Universe and measure the rate of the Universe's expansion." Readers willing to make a modest effort and use their high school algebra can confirm that examining the present universe makes it clear that it began with the Big Bang. Calculating when this happened is not difficult, but determining how everything—i.e. space, time, matter, and energy—evolved takes some thought. Fortunately, plenty of brilliant scientists, led by Einstein (a big favorite of the authors), gave it close attention. Many readers will settle for the magic show, but those who choose to pore over the authors' explanations and perhaps take a pencil and paper to follow along will gain a more significant understanding of some profound cosmological phenomena.

Kirkus Reviews