''About Time: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution'' (), published in 1995,
is the second book written by
Paul Davies
Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...
, regarding the subject of
time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
. His first book on time was his ''The Physics of Time Asymmetry'' (1977)(). The intended audience is the general public, rather than science academics.
''About Time'' explores selected mysteries of
spacetime
In physics, spacetime is a mathematical model that combines the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional manifold. Spacetime diagrams can be used to visualize relativistic effects, such as why differ ...
, following on from
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...
's
theory of relativity
The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in ...
, which Davies believes does not fully explain time as humans experience it. The author explains
The book delves into the nature of
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
, time, motion and
gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
, covering a wide range of aspects surrounding the current
cosmological
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
debate
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
, across 283 pages in great detail. It includes an
index, a
bibliography, and numerous
diagrams.
See also
*
Basic introduction to the mathematics of curved spacetime
The mathematics of general relativity is complex. In Newton's theories of motion, an object's length and the rate at which time passes remain constant while the object accelerates, meaning that many problems in Newtonian mechanics may be solve ...
*
Sense of time
The study of time perception or chronoception is a field within psychology, cognitive linguistics and neuroscience that refers to the subjective experience, or sense, of time, which is measured by someone's own perception of the duration of the ind ...
* ''
The Mind of God
''The Mind of God'' is a 1992 non-fiction book by Paul Davies. Subtitled ''The Scientific Basis for a Rational World'', it is a whirlwind tour and explanation of theories, both physical and metaphysical, regarding ultimate causes. Its title com ...
''
* ''
How to Build a Time Machine'', 2002 fiction book by the same author
References
1995 non-fiction books
Science books
Physics books
Time in fiction
Books by Paul Davies
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