Summary of A Brief History of Time Book by Stephen Hawking, PhD
4.7 . 20114 reviews
Short summary
Does your heart shrink in terror when you hear the word “physics?” Maybe you think this science is just for geeks, and ordinary people are not meant to understand this complex subject? Throw away these thoughts! It is Steven Hawking himself who will explain how the universe works. He was a theoretical physicist specializing in quantum gravity and general relativity.
Maybe now you think, “How on earth am I supposed to understand physics explained by such a genius?” In addition to being a brilliant physicist, Hawking wrote in an entertaining manner so that any reader could fall in love with the universe the way he did.
It is time to dive into the peculiarities of the world structure and gain numerous answers to the puzzling questions which people kept asking for ages. Let's crack the universe together.
“...the universe is governed by a set of rational laws that we can discover and understand.” ~ Stephen Hawking, PhD
Every person in the world at least once asked themselves the question, “How did the universe begin to exist?” Some of our ancestors considered that it was created in approximately 5000 BC. Of course, archeological finds prove this suggestion wrong, as Earth came into existence 4.5 billion years ago. Greek philosophers believed that the universe existed for an infinite amount of time and would last forever.
St. Augustine claimed that time, as our fourth dimension, hadn't existed before the universe's creation, so it could not be everlasting. One of the most remarkable discoveries about the universe was made in 1929 by astronomer Edwin Hubble. He noticed that galaxies move in the opposite direction from us, implying that the universe expands. Moreover, scientists suggested that the galaxies were accumulated in one place back then, which brought us to the development of the Big Bang cosmological model.
There are, however, more popular theories, like Isaac Newton's theory of gravity and Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Sometimes, people do not abandon old theories because their prognosis does not differ widely in certain cases. And as Hawking wittily observed, Newton's theory is much simpler to use! Nowadays, scientists apply quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity to interpret the world. While Einstein's approach characterizes the universe on the macroscale, quantum mechanics applies to the microlevel. But these two theories are incompatible, meaning that one of them has to be wrong.
One of the major endeavors in physics today, and the major theme of this book, is the search for a new theory that will incorporate them both — a quantum theory of gravity. ~ Stephen Hawking, PhD
The search starts with the analysis of space and time models. According to Newton's laws, an object will continue moving until its motion is interrupted by some force. Aristotle, on the contrary, thought that any object will stay still until moved by some force. However, there is no standard of rest in science which means that we cannot establish whether two situations that happened at different points in time happened at the same place. But scientists managed to measure the maximum speed that can be achieved in the universe — the speed of light.
Even if you think that you are lazy just resting on the bed, in reality, you cross space due to the Earth's rotation. Everything is indeed relative in this world!
This summary will drag you inside the universe. Hawking has described how this mechanism looks, why objects act in certain ways, and how physics developed over time. While reading or listening, you will realize the power of human intellect and the complexity of the world. Physics is an extremely counterintuitive field. So get ready to be astonished!
second key point
Sky (read “universe”) is the limit
Einstein's legendary equation E=mc2 demonstrated that the more energy the object receives while moving, the more mass it will gain. This means that it cannot increase its speed at some point due to elevated mass. Other Einstein's revolutionary findings indicated that the time-space continuum is actually warped and, hence, light does not move straight. Its direction can be changed by massive objects causing light deflection.
In this thought-provoking exploration, a renowned physicist delves into the mysteries of the universe, unraveling complex concepts such as black holes, the Big Bang, and the nature of time itself. With clarity and wit, the author takes readers on a journey through the history of scientific discoveries, offering a captivating glimpse into the fundamental questions that have fascinated humanity for centuries.
Who should read A Brief History of Time
Science enthusiasts seeking a comprehensive understanding of the universe.
Students and academics studying astrophysics and cosmology.
Curious individuals interested in exploring the mysteries of time and space.
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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.
Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.