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    Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?
    Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?
    Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?
    Audiobook7 hours

    Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?

    Written by Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw and Multiple Authors

    Narrated by Jeff Forshaw

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of The Theory of Relativity in recent years, Professors Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein's most famous equation, exploring the principles of physics through everyday life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateJan 1, 2011
    ISBN9781407468044
    Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?
    Author

    Brian Cox

    Brian Cox, Ph.D., is Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester. Dr. Cox is also a Royal Society research fellow and a researcher on the ATLAS experiment on the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. He is perhaps best known as a science broadcaster and host of the BBC’s hugely popular Wonders series. He is the coauthor of three companion books to these series, which have become #1 Sunday Times bestsellers, as well as two narrative works of popular science, The Quantum Universe and Why Does E = mc2? In the 1990s he played keyboards for the UK pop band D:Ream.

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    Reviews for Why Does E=MC² and Why Should We Care?

    4/5

    190 ratings17 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I found this book both frustrating and riveting. I'm abysmal at maths, so portions of the book that were heavy on the mechanics of the equations mentioned left me a little bored when I couldn't completely follow (not to mention depressed about not being good at adding). But then the non-math heavy parts were very engaging and it was hard to not get caught up in the enthusiasm of the authors. There were places I wished for more of an explantion and things I found would have been useful if they had been mentioned earlier, but overall I was very glad I stuck with the book. I got a sense of what went into that one small equation that says so much about the universe. It's pretty awe-inspiring.

      Also, a million points to any book that makes you stick your hand in the air and smile as you imagine heaps of neutrinos passing through your thumb. Very cool.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Following equations in an audiobook is more than a little challenging. So I found the book’s reliance on equations to be frustrating. I got nothing out of the sections on relativity, but I did enjoy the section on the Standard Model. That section is a little outdated because it was written before the discovery of the Higgs, yet it holds up well. If you want to learn about relativity, I suggest reading the paperback instead.
    • 5/5
      What a roller coaster! I listened to several chapters more than once I enjoyed it so much
    • 3/5
      Felt that this book “above my pay grade”. Still, did not dismayed my interest about the subject, for the contrary. I feel small steps make the best advances.
    • 4/5
      Nice read. I did not know that its not exactly "energy" that is equal to mass times the speed of light squared. However, Brian Cox tends to be very scatter brained while discussing the issues of relativity and space-time curvature. He will sometimes wander from topic to topic while discussing something in-depth and it took a bit for me to keep track of where he was. I would have also liked to have seen more math. Cox spends several paragraphs each chapter apologizing to the layman about the two to three equations he presents in the succeeding sentences and then presents an equivalent to the Pythagorean theorem. I get it Brian, you are excited to share physics with the lay man, but you don't need to assume that no one has ever had calculus or, indeed, even algebra. Give us some credit and explain things with equations. If you want to pander, give the equation and explain in detail what it means so we can chew over it.
    • 4/5
      Einstein’s theory of special relativity for dummies. Which, in this case, is probably most of us.
      It will be hard for someone to come up with a simpler way to explain Einstein’s work - if you’re well versed on maths or physics, you will probably find this annoying or maybe too dumbed down. But this isn’t for you - it’s for all people that are curious about Einstein and our universe, can follow a logical discussion, but are not technical enough to follow a more detailed explanation. Not that this isn’t detailed, but Cox and Forshaw go to great lengths to hold your hand along the way and explain it all, using analogies and not a lot of maths to make their point.
      And it works. You might feel a bit lost at times, but things will fall into place. And hopefully you will also be able to appreciate the beauty of Einstein’s ideas.
    • 4/5
      Not exactly light reading but definitely fascinating. I have a feeling ill probably come back to it with a notepad at some point to get a better grasp of some of the more complex aspects.
    • 4/5
      I really, really want to understand this. It started well, but when the maths kicked in i got lost. You Do have to have more than a basic understanding of maths to get this.
    • 1/5
      An attempt to combinte pop science with chick lit. = to : (
    • 4/5
      As a layman who is interested in Physics and finds some books too technical and many others lack of precision and depth, I found this book brilliant and very helpful. It is an easy-to-follow popular science book, yet more profound than that.

      Most of all, it isn't a book that just throws out "facts", results and theories towards you. It gives the readers an opportunity to looke into minds of the great, to think like a physicist and to understand how theories of Relativity and some other scientific ideas came into being.

      Finally, aided by this book, I came to understand Einstein's theories of Special Relativity in detail. It really has given me more insights into this subject than any other book I've read on the same topic.

      The only thing that left me somehow unsatisfied, is its brevity on theories of General Relativity, of which, the book only explains its concept. Although the mathematics should be difficult, I'd really like to learn more, by following a similar way that this wondeful book has guided us through previously.
    • 1/5
      It is awful to read because the authors speak to you as if you were a child. Find another book on relativity!
    • 4/5
      This book is yet another popularized explanation of Einstein’s theory or (as the authors explain) theories of relativity. It is also one of the best available. Its special merit lies in the fact that it actually uses equations. The so-called “special” theory of relativity defines how observers moving at constant velocity relative to one another observe the same events. The theory begins with the assumption that the speed of light is a constant, no matter what the velocity of the light source. That assumption was originally derived from Maxwell’s equations of electricity and magnetism and subsequently verified experimentally by the famous Michelson-Morley experiment. From this assumption, the theory concludes that for different observers moving relative to one another, measuring rods shrink, clocks slow down, and the mass of all object increases as their velocity increases. Moreover, these conclusions can be derived with mathematics no more complicated than college algebra and the Pythagorean Theorem. Einstein was troubled by these conclusions. He wanted to know what laws of physics were truly invariant, no matter how different observers moved relative to one another. In fact, he thought the theory of invariance was a better name for his conclusions than the theory of relativity. To make sense of these calculations, which have been verified numerous times by experiment, we must assume that space and time are not separate entities, as we formerly thought, but are inextricably meshed together in a single entity now called space-time. The authors then demonstrate the consequences of the law of the conservation of momentum, expressed in space-time. Remarkably, by teasing the relativity equations regarding length, mass, and time in light of the conservation of momentum, the famous E=mc² pops out almost like magic! The conclusion that energy and mass are equivalent and related to one another in a very precise ratio is completely unexpected and profound. To the authors’ credit, they do not insulate the reader from the relatively simple math used to derive the theory. The reader’s appreciation of the profundity of the theory is greatly enhanced by following its mathematical derivation. When it comes to the general theory of relativity, which deals with systems accelerating relative to one another and explains the phenomenon of gravity as the localized curvature of Minkowski space-time, the math becomes much more difficult—it took Einstein ten years of intense effort to figure it out. I’ve seen the math in technical journals, and it is far too daunting for the average reader such as me. The authors mercifully omit that math, but point out that the theory ultimately was derived from the observation that objects fall at the same speed (unless differentially affected by air friction). The book also includes a chapter on the origin of mass, which takes us away from relativity theory into the realm of quantum mechanics. The math here is very difficult, but the authors simplify matters as much a possible by using Feynman diagrams. This is a well-written book for the curious layman with a mathematical bent who wants to explore modern physics.(JAB)
    • 5/5
      This was a great book for anyone that wants to understand physics just a little bit better. The author takes you through most of the detail of how Einstein came to the conclusion of E=mc^2 without having to walk through the âtough mathâ.Iâve read tons of books like this one but this is worth the read. I was most impressed with the fact that they really did walk you through the concepts without having math harder than the Pythagorean Theorem. If you understand that you can understand this book.The book had took you to the brink of the universe and brought you back to the inner workings of the atomic nucleus. I will be keeping this hard cover book on my bookshelf for years to come.
    • 2/5
      Several people have said that this is a good book for beginners to physics, but I have to disagree. I tried very hard to follow all the arguments and explanations, but I'm afraid I failed to finish the book (a very rare thing!). Having not done any science or maths since GCSEs over 10 years ago, perhaps I am just out of practice, but I guess I had expected a more gentle introduction. I think I got why time and space are relative, but beyond that - nope. Perhaps I'll just stick to the TV programmes...
    • 3/5
      This is a very clear explanation of physics in a readable format that should be accessible to those with little prior knowledge. Unlike many of its type, it does not stop at E=mc2 but takes us forward to where physics is now, slotting a famous equation into perspective and making it part of a whole voyage of discovery.The authors' joy of physics is also conveyed in a book that bubbles with enthusiasm and excitement and sheer delight in the wonders of discovery. The last couple of pages in particular are uplifting in their celebration of achievement.
    • 4/5
      A very good introduction to a fascinating subject, worthwhile for novices or experienced readers. In most cases when I found myself asking "... but why?" they provided the answer. My only quibble is that the narrative seems to go off in many different directions; all interesting but not all relevant to the chapter's topic.
    • 4/5
      Cox and Forshaw have presented a streamlined, focused popular science book aimed at teaching relatively new science readers the basics and history of the famous equation in the title. While experienced physics readers will not likely learn new information, the book offers an approachable description of relativity, how we know it works, and why it is important in the modern world and beyond.While I personally didn't gain much new from this book (as an experienced non-professional physics reader), I believe new readers could be in for a treat. I'd certainly recommend starting a discovery of relativity with this book if the concept seems difficult. The authors take time to explain various concepts and make solid efforts to present reasonable analogies to aid in the explanation. Combined with a singularly-focused subject, the book is an excellent starting point for curious, intelligent readers wishing to know more details about E=mc2. Four stars.