Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The UniverseHow did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "big bang," determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned," there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - expatscot - LibraryThingAn excellent Popular Science trip through the bits that just seem weird with one of the world's great cosmologists. Sir Martin manages to keep things just about understandable for someone who needs to ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - antao - LibraryThing(original review, 2000) If there was an infinite number of universes wouldn't there be a universe in which a mad scientist had discovered how to destroy all the universes and pressed the button, so ... Read full review
Contents
planets stars and life 3 The large number N gravity in the cosmos | |
Stars the periodic table and | |
beyond our galaxy | |
dark matter and | |
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Common terms and phrases
accelerating actually antimatter astronomers atomic nucleus Big Bang billion lightyears biosphere black holes brown dwarfs carbon cent centre Chapter clusters of galaxies complex contains cosmic number cosmologists cosmology cosmos critical density crucial cubic metre dark matter depends detect deuterium dimensions disc distance distant galaxies early universe Earth effect Einstein’s theory electrons emergence energy everything evolution evolve exist extra fireball formed galaxies and clusters gravity happens heavier helium horizon Hubble hydrogen infer inflation instance Jupiter kilometres per second large number larger less mass mathematical measured microwave microworld motions multiverse mystery neutrinos neutron stars Newton’s nuclear force nuclei objects observable universe orbit oxygen periodic table physical laws physicist Planck planets predicted probe processes protons quantum quarks radiation redshift remote scale six numbers smaller socalled Solar System space speed of light structure Sun’s superclusters supernovae superstring theory surface telescopes temperature theorists tuning wavelengths zero
Bibliographic information
| Title | Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape The Universe |
| Author | Martin Rees |
| Publisher | Basic Books, 2008 |
| ISBN | 0786723580, 9780786723584 |
| Length | 208 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / Space Science / Cosmology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |