The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report
First edition hardback cover
|
|
| Author | Timothy Ferris |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-universe(s) Report |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | cosmology, science |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
|
Publication date
|
1997 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 35990287 |
| 523.1 21 | |
| LC Class | QB981 .F38 1997 |
The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-universe(s) Report is a 1997 science book by author Timothy Ferris. In his book he provides a wide-range report of current research on cosmology, the study of the universe, and its trends going into the 21st century. He reports on theories about the possibility that our universe is one among many, the Big Bang theory, Black holes, the "expanding" universe, and "curved" space. The book has twelve chapters with most of it exploring the Big Bang theory and the mass density of the universe.
Ferris is a prizewinning author who has been called "the greatest science writer in the world." He conceived and produced the Voyager phonograph record. As a professor he has taught astronomy, English, history, journalism, and philosophy at four universities. Ferris has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the category of general non-fiction for his physics and astronomy knowledge.
He starts the book with quantum physics explaining Ω (dark matter and all mass density) and how it is measured. Cosmologists believe the universe is flat and that Ω equals one. They theorize the universe will continue expanding but at a slower and slower rate, never stopping completely. He explains that foundation models of the universe are not three-dimensional, but have a fourth spacetime continuum. Ferris says cosmologist Andrei Linde estimates the radius of the universe to be an "astronomical" number of one followed by a trillion zeros centimeters.
The book is an overview which examines mapping of large scale structures, weird quantum effects and cosmic evolution. Ferris talks of black holes and what would happen if an astronaut jumped into one. He goes on to explain that a "boltzmon" is very small particle, but contains a galaxy's worth of information. The book examines the pursuit of cosmologists to describe the universe conveniently in one mathematical formula, a goal Albert Einstein was trying to achieve in his "unified theory." The book also explains that virtually every society worldwide from ancient Egyptians to Native Americans to dwellers of modern cities have a supposition and hypothesis of the universe, which ultimately influences their thinking consciously and subconsciously.
...
Wikipedia