UKC

Read the above book and really enjoyed it, even understood some of it.

Any suggestions of a similar style book to build upon my knowledge or bring it more upto date?

In reply to jezb1:
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene is good

In reply to jezb1:

Why stop at time? Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' is amazing in its scope and accessibility.

In reply to john arran:

Another top recommendation is 'How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog' by Chad Orzel. Made me feel like I was even understanding it - until I tried to explain it later!

In reply to jezb1: Why does E=mc2? by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

In reply to jezb1: The Quark and the Jaguar. Absolutely fantasic book looking into the simple and the complex.

In reply to jezb1: Isn't this book supposed to be akin to 'The End Of History And The Last Man' by Francis Fukuyama, Which I have also possessed for years and not read (has anybody/)

In reply to jezb1:

I'm nearly finished reading "The Trouble With Physics" by Lee Smolin. Not technical but very clearly written for the layman on the state of theoretical physics and why he thinks there are problems with the directions being taken. His treatment of String Theory is very readable and interesting and much less hardwork than Brian Greene's!

In reply to Geoff F:

Excellent, but you'll need to get stuck into some maths to get the most out of it!

In reply to Bloodfire:

I'll second that.

In reply to jezb1:

"The Hunded Year Old Man who Climbed out of the Window"

One of the funniest books I've read for ages.

In reply to jezb1:

A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss, it's the business.

In reply to jezb1: Thanks for all the recommendations, will have a look at them

In reply to jezb1:

Sean Carroll's "The particle at the end of the universe", all about the Higgs.

In reply to jezb1:

Look at 'The Dancing Wu Li Masters', by Gary Zukav

I understood that one.

In reply to Coel Hellier:


How much maths do you need for that one?

In reply to Geoff F:

Their quantun mechanics book is also very good.

In reply to jezb1:

Singh "Big Bang".

Feynman " Six Easy Pieces"

Both are very readable and accessible.

CB

In reply to jezb1: Guns, Germs and Steal by Jared Diamond. Awesome read.

In reply to jezb1:

Zero

is quite a good read

In reply to jezb1:

Cosmos - Carl Sagan, is a superb read

In reply to Jimbo W:


It's a popular level book, not a mathematical one, and should be ok for anyone interested in science. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=421804

In reply to jezb1:


Roger Penrose - The Emperor's New Mind

In reply to Skyhook:


I think that might be a little bit of a quantum leap "up" from the usual introductory text. You have to be quiet determined to plough through the axioms surrounding the proofs. It doesnt let you off the hook either, if you miss a step in logic then it all becomes a bit intractable.
A tough read...

In reply to shaun l:

+10

CB

In reply to Coel Hellier:


Thanks. I think I might order it!

In reply to jezb1: +1 for The Elegant Universe. And Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin is a fascinating look at evolution.

In reply to Skyhook:

I've been trying to read that for the last 20 years.

In reply to jezb1: John Gribbin maybe?

In reply to AdrianC:

Umm. Thought Shubin's book was very underwhelming, and quite remarkable for how little it told us, particularly about what's been going on in biological science over at least the last 15 yrs.

In reply to jezb1: Charlie and the chocolate Factory

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


I liked it, a clear and incisive account of the deep biological links demonstrating the common ancestry of fish and humans, all at a level understandable by everyone.


What did you want it to tell you about?

In reply to jezb1:

another vote for how to teach quantum physics to your dog. Plenty of physics in there without being a bit dry.

In reply to Robert Durran:
2nd The Trouble with Physics - but you get more out of it if you've studied a masters in theoretical physics i reckon.

Elegant Universe by Brian Green is Okaaaaay

Tried Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh? Very well written and wonderfully insightful. A bit more niche market than your TOE physics but in a similar realm

In reply to jezb1:

Sam Kean's The Disappearing Spoon is an entertaining tour through the periodic table, albeit not quite the realm the OP asked for.

In reply to jezb1:

Great recommendations on here.

The Fabric Of Reality by David Deutsch is a remarkable book, but it's now years since I read it and can't remember precisely what his point was. But it ties together the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics with Turing's ideas about computation, some vaguely Popperian philosophy and something else, and makes it seem like a completely revolutionary new description of reality itself (it's about more than just what the universe 'out there' is like). I'd love to read it again in fact, maybe a bit more would stick second time round.

In reply to Jon Stewart: So nobody really has managed Francis Fukuyama's 'The End of History and The Last Man' Shame I was going to ask for advice on how hard going this 'definitive' book is and whether I should try again with my pristine hardbook copy.