John D. Barrow

From one of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists comes this fascinating exploration of the surprisingly substantial and varied nature of nothing.With unassailable expertise and a proven ability to make complex theories and ideas clearly accessible, John Barrow examines and explains every aspect of nothingness. From the zeros of mathematicians to the void of philosophers, from Shakespeare to the null set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, this book illustrates the fact that nothing is real. Barrow begins with the origins of zero in ancient India, its rocky reception in Europe, and the early abhorrence and eventual acceptance of the concept of the void by Christianity. He traces the notion through the work of writers and thinkers from the ancient Greeks to our own time. He looks at mathematics, cosmology, theology, and physics to uncover the nothing that is at the heart of most things. Finally, he discusses recent concepts of nothing, which are having profound effects on our search for the origins and overall structure of the universe.lluminating the many ways in which humankind has come to understand "nothing," The Book of Nothing brilliantly belies its title.From the Hardcover edition.

At first glance, the worlds of math and the arts might not seem like comfortable neighbors. But as mathematician John D. Barrow points out, they have a strong and natural affinity--after all, math is the study of all patterns, and the world of the arts is rich with pattern. Barrow whisks us through 100 thought-provoking and often whimsical intersections between math and many arts, from the golden ratios of Mondrian's rectangles and the curious fractal-like nature of Pollock's drip paintings to ballerinas' gravity-defying leaps and the next generation of monkeys on typewriters tackling Shakespeare.--from the publisher.

Presents a wide-ranging interdisciplinary study of the evolving concept of laws of Nature. The author traces the gradual deveopment of our concept of what law of Nature are and how we come to know them. The scientific and mathematical concepts are discussed in a serious but non-technical style within a historical context.

The origins of life on earth, the workings of the human mind, the mysteries of the Universe itself--profound questions such as these were once the province of philosophy and theology alone. Today they have become the staple--and indeed the hallmark--of the finest writing about science. And few science writers have tackled the big questions as persistently and as insightfully as astronomer John Barrow. Now, in Between Inner Space and Outer Space, Barrow brings together dozens of essays that offer a sweeping account of his explorations along the boundary lines of science, philosophy, and religion. Here is an invigorating tour of topics such as cosmology, evolution, Grand Unified Theories, complexity and chaos, the nature of time, super string theory, quantum mechanics, particle physics, Big Bang theory, and much more. Barrow's range is remarkable. He examines, for instance, what science can tell us about our love of music or why certain paintings appeal to us. He recounts the dramatic discoveries made by the satellite COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) and reveals what these findings tell us about the origins of the Cosmos. He discusses the debate over the nature of the universe waged by Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose. And he offers a thoughtful review of E.O. Wilson's Consilience, seconding Wilson's criticism of social scientists who remain quite ignorant of the key insights made by the life sciences. Leavened with a sprightly sense of humor, Between Inner Space and Outer Space illuminates modern science as it provides much food for thought about life's ultimate questions.

The comprehensive book of cartoons from the beloved New Yorker cartoonist.--From publisher description.

Writing with rare stylistic verve and a real commitment to lucid explanations of complex ideas, John D. Barrow has produced a book that "expertly encapsulates our knowledge, speculations, and questions about the origins of the universe" (John Paulos, author of Innumeracy) and is as "up-to-date as the fixing of the Hubble telescope" (Martin Gardner). There is no more fascinating question in all of science than that of how space, matter, and even time began. Now Barrow, who has been at the cutting edge of this research, explains the complex physical processes that we now know govern the origin of the universe. Here is a treatment so up-to-date and intellectually rich, dealing with ideas and speculations at the farthest frontier of science, that neither novice nor expert will want to miss what Barrow has to say. More than simply setting out the most current theory of the origin of the universe, Barrow describes what makes cosmology possible. He shows how scientists, by exploring crucial points of contact between the behavior of matter during its early history and the observed structure of the universe today, came to understand more fully all the entities in the universe - from elementary particles to great clusters of galaxies. Moving to the frontier questions of modern cosmology, Barrow discusses how to understand whether time had a beginning; why scientists feel there may be extra dimensions to space; and what the remarkable consequences may be of cosmic wormholes - links between otherwise disconnected parts of space and time. He also shows why the discoveries made by NASA's COBE satellite are of such paramount importance. Barrow is equally at home telling us what physics has to say about "creation out of nothing" as he is explaining why our own existence is entwined with the origin and structure of the universe in unsuspected ways - ways that must be incorporated into any complete description of the universe's beginning, its history, and its future.