''Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos'' is a
popular science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
book by
Michio Kaku
Michio Kaku (, ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, futurist, and popular science, popularizer of science (science communicator). He is a professor of theoretical physics in the City College of New ...
first published in 2004.
Contents
The book has twelve chapters arranged in three parts. Part I (Chapters 1–4) covers the Big Bang, the early development of the Universe, and how these topics relate to the Eternal Inflation Multiverse (Level II in the Tegmark hierarchy of Multiverses). Part II (Chapters 5–9) covers M-Theory and the Everett interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Level III Multiverse). It also discusses how future technology will enable the creation of wormholes. Part III discusses the
Big Freeze
The heat death of the universe (also known as the Big Chill or Big Freeze) is a hypothesis on the ultimate fate of the universe, which suggests the universe will evolve to a state of no thermodynamic free energy, and will therefore be unabl ...
and how a Hyperspace wormhole (one in 11-dimensional Hyperspace rather than 3-dimensional normal space) will enable civilization and life to escape to a younger Universe.
Theme
In ''Parallel Worlds'', Kaku presents many of the leading theories in physics; from
Newtonian physics
Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical mech ...
to
Relativity to
Quantum Physics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...
to
String theory
In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interac ...
and even into the newest version of string theory, called
M-theory
M-theory is a theory in physics that unifies all consistent versions of superstring theory. Edward Witten first conjectured the existence of such a theory at a string theory conference at the University of Southern California in 1995. Witten's ...
. He makes available to the reader a comprehensive description of many of the more compelling theories in physics, including many interesting predictions each theory makes, what
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
s,
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
s, and
cosmologist
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 ...
s are looking for now and what technology they are using in their search.
Reception
Scarlett Thomas writing for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' calls ''Parallel Worlds'' "absolutely impossible to put down." Mark Mortimer for ''
Universe Today
Universe Today (U.T.) is a popular North American-based non-commercial space and astronomy news website. The domain was registered on December 30, 1998, and the website went live in March 1999, founded by Canadian Fraser Cain. The ''Universe Today ...
'' felt the book maintains a nice balance between detail and corollary while sometimes drifting to the philosophical side of things.
Gerry Gilmore of the
Institute of Astronomy, wrote that the book "is not a classic, but does raise many interesting ideas." Gilmore praised the book for its "exotic physics" and felt there were "lots of intellectual challenge" but believed there "was a little too much of a
pot-pourri
Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl.
The word "potpourri" comes into English from the French ...
." Gilmore wrote that the biggest weakness of the book is how it covers
astrophysical
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
history.
The book was a finalist for the
Samuel Johnson Prize
The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its m ...
for non-fiction in
the UK
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
See also
*
Many-worlds interpretation
The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum me ...
* ''
The 4 Percent Universe
''The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality'' is a nonfiction book by writer and professor Richard Panek and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on January 10, 2011.
In October 2011, the No ...
'' by
Richard Panek
Richard Panek is an American popular science writer, columnist, and journalist who specializes in the topics of space, the universe, and gravity. He has published several books and has written articles for a number of news outlets and scientific ...
* ''
The Elegant Universe
''The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory'' is a book by Brian Greene published in 1999, which introduces string and superstring theory, and provides a comprehensive though non-technical asses ...
'' by
Brian Greene
Brian Randolph Greene (born February 9, 1963) is a American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist. Greene was a physics professor at Cornell University from 19901995, and has been a professor at Columbia University since 1 ...
* ''
The Fabric of the Cosmos
''The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality'' (2004) is the second book on theoretical physics, cosmology, and string theory written by Brian Greene, professor and co-director of Columbia's Institute for Strings, Cosmolog ...
'' by
Brian Greene
Brian Randolph Greene (born February 9, 1963) is a American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist. Greene was a physics professor at Cornell University from 19901995, and has been a professor at Columbia University since 1 ...
* ''
The Fabric of Reality
''The Fabric of Reality'' is a 1997 book by physicist David Deutsch. His follow-up book, ''The Beginning of Infinity'', was published in 2011.
Overview
The book expands on his views of quantum mechanics and its implications for understanding re ...
'' by
David Deutsch
David Elieser Deutsch ( ; born 18 May 1953) is a British physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation (CQC) in the Clarendon Laboratory of ...
* ''
The Universe in a Nutshell
''The Universe in a Nutshell'' is a 2001 book about theoretical physics by Stephen Hawking. It is generally considered a sequel and was created to update the public concerning developments since the multi-million-copy bestseller ''A Brief Histor ...
'' by
Stephen Hawking
* ''
The Science of Interstellar
''The Science of Interstellar'' is a non-fiction book by American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne, with a foreword by Christopher Nolan. The book was initially published on November 7, 2014 by W. W. Norton & Company. This is ...
'' by
Kip Thorne
Kip Stephen Thorne (born June 1, 1940) is an American theoretical physicist known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. A longtime friend and colleague of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, he was the Richard P. Fey ...
References
2005 non-fiction books
Popular physics books
Books by Michio Kaku
Cosmology books
Doubleday (publisher) books
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