5 comments about Universe.

1. This book is amazing. Its pictures are beautiful and explanations clear.
   I leave it on my coffee table as the pictures are so beautiful and on every page. I would suggest this book for especially persons that have not had previous knowledge of the universe as this explains it all in understandable detail. Good for all ages except the very young.



2. This is quite simply a magnificent book. It contains an incredible wealth of information, ranging from leptons, bosons and variously flavoured quarks right through to galaxy superclusters. The planets of the solar system are covered in-depth, and every other known type of structure in the universe besides. Apart from this description of the universe on every scale, this book contains pages covering the history and methods of astronomy, space travel, the question of life in the universe, and likely scenarios for the beginning and the end of the cosmos. Even string theory is touched upon. The final quarter of the book is taken up by an extensive collection of star charts, inviting the reader to actively involve him- or herself in some stargazing.
   But it's not just the breadth and depth of the information covered that makes this book such a gem, it is also the way it is presented. Every single page is visually pleasing, through a clever merging of text and illustrations. With text often broken up into numerous, succinct, thematic lemmas, many pages almost feel like a book in themselves. The layout and design is stylish as well as colourful. Many of the images are absolutely dazzling. Once you open this visual guide, anywhere, chances are you'll be glued to it for the next hour. A must-have for anyone who likes to be immersed in the endless wonders of our universe.



3. Visually intoxicating! You can learn the secrets of the universe in this one volume. I have numerous DK published books all of which are excellent. However, this is the paragon that all the other books are judged by. Simply, it is the best book that they have ever published. It should be the standard text book for astronomy classes!



4. The information and illustrations inside the book are wonderful. Every page you turn to has something that sparks your interest. Only downfall was that I purchased this for my husband for Christmas and the second time he opened the book to read out of it the binding broke.



5. 
   I bought this book 4 weeks ago after trying out quite a few books about universe. This is by far the best book about the unimaginable universe. The things that I liked about this book are:
   
   The book is divided into 4 sections. First one is overview of the universe. Second section goes into details of the solar system. Third talks about rest of the universe. Last section has guides to watch sky in the night.
   
   It starts off with a few pages about technical understanding of forces that build universe. Excellent information about atoms, bonds, Bohr's orbits, photos, gravity etc. These basic concepts of physics are tied in to how the universe functions. If you are not a technical person, don't get scared by this since it is explained in a very neat and simple manner. I wish this kind of explanations were available in my high school.
   
   It has few of the best ever pictures of celestial objects. Its not only a picture book though. It has lot of textual information about the object. There are lot of great illustrations to describe each planet in detail. I have not yet reached the part where it talks about rest of the universe but so far, I am loving this book.
   
   Things I did not like? Not much really. I would have liked to see information about how these pictures are taken or from where the pictures are obtained but understand that it would make the book less appealing in terms of asthetics.
   
   Great book overall, not just an eyecandy but a definitive resource about universe.
   
   Thanks
   Abhay Joshi

5 comments about Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach (Aiaa Education Series).

1. 
   This is an interesting and enlightening book (or rather tome) on aircraft design by a very knowledgeable author who knows what to say and how to say it. This is among the best books on the market dealing with aircraft design and is well written in a clear and easy to understand and follow format for those studying aeronautical engineering and design. It is also an excellent reference guide for aircraft design professionals.
   
   This is a comprehensive book covering all the major topics in aircraft design including mission definition, initial sizing, structural and aerodynamics design, weight estimation, configuration layout, performance analysis and estimates. The author reinforces his teaching with tips, illustrations, explanations and equations and provide essential data for aircraft design.
   
   Overally, an excellent book that is well worth investing in.



2. There are several stages to aircraft design. This book covers the first stage, conceptual design, which aims to find the best possible configuration for the aircraft prior to designing the aircraft in detail.
   
   Arriving at this final design involves several layers of complexity. Initially the process involves creating several simple designs and performing a brief evaluation of their performance. This allows the designer to select the best design and develop the design to the point where it can be `fixed' and sent to the specialists who will design the individual parts for manufacture.
   
   The conceptual designer needs to be a jack of all trades, he needs to understand all of the issues, but he doesn't need to be an expert in any of them. For this reason this book is makes it a great reference for people like me with a general interest. It gives an excelent overview of aircraft design, but doesn't go into fine detail.



3. Great Great Great Great Book !!
   An essential book. Every people who work in aeronautic and space industry HAVE to read this book. Very easy to understand. Should be the first book on airplane design that you read.



4. For any aspiring Aeronautical Engineer, this book provides indepth analysis and insights into design of Aeronautical Systems. Several design concepts have been demonstrated with real examples. A must read.



5. The Raymer's book is a great title for airplane preliminary sizing.
   The book is very useful with many tips about the subject.
   The Torenbeek's book and Roskam's books is also recommended.

5 comments about The Human Touch: Our Part in the Creation of a Universe.

1. Professional philosophers will have the same problem with this book as professional historians have with Paul Johnson (thus a few 4-stars will appear in an otherwise unassailable 5+-stars). As a non-professional philosopher (but professional scientist), I found this to be a remarkable work: An amalgam of physics, neuroscience, linguistics, and philosophy, brought to bear upon the issue of how we create the universe. Its an astonishing synthesis.
   
   Frayn has a genius for accessibly posing the important questions. What is free will? What is consciousness? Does the universe exist (metaphorically) without us? Most important, do we have the language to even ask the right questions? Could we ever understand ourselves? Frayn has serious doubts, and the answers pour through our fingers like water. But our hands are left wet, and we thirst for more.



2. Michael Frayn is well known as a playwright for the hilarious farce _Noises Off_ (film version good but less funny) and for _Copenhagen_, a drama about quantum physicists. He is also a novelist, translator, and journalist. When he was at Cambridge, though, he studied philosophy, and he might say that all his works have been offshoots of that particular endeavor. He returns to the big subject in _The Human Touch: Our Part in the Creation of a Universe_ (Metropolitan Books) with a suitably big book with lots of big and important topics and plenty of profound but lightly-expressed ideas. It has to be said that most of Frayn's ideas have to do with just how deep our wonderment ought to be and how few answers we have, but still, this is a genial guided tour of the issues that have consumed thinkers since before the days of Plato.
   
   The paradox that Frayn looks at in many different ways is this: "The world has no form or substance without you and me to provide them, and you and I have no form or substance without the world to provide them in its turn." He also says that we have not even begun resolve the paradox. "The universe plainly exists independently of human consciousness," he writes, "but what can ever be said about it that has not been mediated through that consciousness?" We have come scientifically to understand a great deal of our universe, especially the planet we inhabit, but the amount compared to the mysteries that still remain is tiny. When we look closely at its complexity, it merely becomes more complex. Frayn, as you can imagine, thinks that numbers are invented. After all, we messed around with numbers for centuries without using a symbol for zero until that concept became part of the system. "Number, in short, is not something logically and mysteriously anterior to space and time, or to cause, or to the human presence in the world." Frayn examines the truth content of stories; how can we evaluate, for instance, the statement "Sherlock Holmes lived at 221B Baker Street"? It is all less complicated than counterfactuals, which have been a puzzle for philosophers for centuries. All this is less puzzling than that of the old bogey of consciousness; Frayn writes, "About consciousness much has been said, and not a word of it that told us anything we didn't already know perfectly well from our own lifelong experience, which is nothing. We can't even say what _sort_ of a thing it is." Consciousness is plainly dependent on the mechanisms in the brain, but paradox again, no accounting of such mechanisms comes close to explaining what feeling and being aware are.
   
   What meaning we get from the universe, too, is up to us. Frayn starts and ends his tour of paradox and how little we can really know with a Rashomon-like invitation: on a calm, clear night, just look up at the stars in wonder. It isn't enough for us humans, because we will start wondering about those lights, and their spectra, and their speed of emission, and on and on; it isn't enough, and then it is enough because it has to be. Frayn's deeply personal explanations of philosophical ideas expressed in an avuncular and amiable way is an engaging look at a broad range of important ideas. Despite his repeatedly showing how much of what we know for sure cannot really be known for sure, this is not a book of despair but an invitation to look with delight more deeply at the nature of things.



3. I know Michael Frayn through exposure to his playwriting masterpiece (at least that is how I consider it) "Noises Off", a thoroughly entertaining and very, very funny farce of all things theatrical and therefore, of culture as a whole. I was not prepared for the depth and breadth of his skill in weaving the substances of philosophical thought and almost gossamer-like threads of humor and grace and compassion for the struggle we as human beings have with living life. A long book yet filled with enough insights theatrical and, especially humor, and it became an easy read, enjoyable as well as thought-inducing. I highly recommend it.



4. Frayn is an OK playwright and novelist. I enjoyed Copenhagen and Headlong (though I thought Spies was sentimental drivel in a manner akin to this tome). But this is sheer, pure and pathetic nonsense. The Washington Post reviewer (Colin McGinn) got it about right, but the previous reviewers on Amazon have it wrong. The average reader will learn nothing useful of cosmology, particle physics, neuroscience and even philosophy (except that it's a huge waste of time) from this long-winded, completely unedited (it seems) and vacuous volume. If you want to learn something about physics, read Brian Greene or Frank Close. If you want a general summary then read Bill Bryson (a vastly superior writer, as tacitly acknowledged by Frayn himself). I learned more philosophy from 1 page of AC Grayling's 90-page total destruction of Wittgenstein ("The world is everything that is the case" - yo, Ludwig) than 100 pages of this long-drawn-out excrescence. An earlier reviewer compared Frayn favorably with Richard Dawkins. GMAB - Dawkins is a superb, succinct and accurate scribe while Frayn simply cannot express any thought in less than 1000 words. Avoid like the plague.



5. This is an astoundingly brilliant, yet accessible, exploration of man's true nature. As part of my joy and work, I have read many of the wisest thinkers who have set words to paper. I know of no one since the Axial Age who has presented these truths about how we humans really function as clearly and refreshingly as Mr. Frayn. Nevermind the absense of a competent editor - Frayn probably couldn't find one up to the job, please read it, understand it, and integrate the understanding. Do it for your own integration and fulfillment, your children's and, ultimately, mankind's.

1 comments about Pathways to Astronomy.

1. I used this book in my Astronomy class and it was very easy to read. It has very short chapters and they are to the point and interesting.

5 comments about Fundamentals of Aerodynamics (Mcgraw-Hill Series in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering).

1. With no doubt this is the best Aerodynamics book for college students ever written...ever!Very clear explanations,full of examples and a good set of exercises to challenge your understanding of the subject. The only negative point is that there no answers to the problems.



2. 5 Stars.
   
   Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, by John D. Anderson, provides an excellent foundation in aerodynamics for engineers. Presented at the graduate or senior undergraduate level, this book covers all of the fundamentals in a student-friendly manner that also works well as a professional reference.
   
   Dr. Anderson has quite a gift for placing information in appropriate contexts - both technically and historically. The book is well organized and promotes learning by laying a solid foundation and then building on that foundation. The sample problems presented through the chapters are clear and effective at illustrating important points.
   
   Major topics include: Incompressible non-viscous flow, Compressible flow, and Viscous flow (including an introduction to boundary layers). Significant time is spent on potential flow theory and it's application to the prediction of lift and induced drag.
   
   Also recommended for students of aeronautics are Dr. Anderson's other titles, including:
   
   - Introduction to Flight
   
   - Modern Compressible Flow with a Historical Perspective
   
   - Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics



3. Dr. Anderson's book is an excellent tool if you'd like to teach yourself aerodynamics and have the background in math to handle it (multivariable and vector calculus...get "Div, Grad, Curl, and All That" if you need a refresher). His derivations are very clear and his chapter maps provide a nice road guide to give you an idea of where you're going. This book is also very good at maintaining rigor in describing the limitations of the derivations, a necessary quality since a lot of us tend to forget that the results we see are only valid in certain circumstances (incompressible flow, irrotational flow, inviscid flow, etc.).
   
   Very few downsides: a few typos and no answers to end-of-the-chapter problems.



4. Over 5 years as an aerospace engineer at Boeing and Lockheed Martin, I have used this book far more than any other for aeronautics. This is not only a good textbook, but an excellent reference, and one of the few technical books I have found worth reading cover-to-cover. Many engineers simply say "look at Anderson" to find whatever answers you need.



5. 
   "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics" is an excellent book by a knowledgeable author that provides the basic know-how and skills that an aeronautical engineer will find useful and helpful. The book is well written in a readable and easy to follow format that provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of aerodynamics. The author reinforced his message with numerous helpful examples and several illustrations which should help the reader to grasp the aerodynamics concepts and principles.
   
   This is among the best aerodynamics books on the market for those studying the subject. You will find the aerodynamics concepts and theory well presented and explained.
   
   This is recommended reading for those studying aeronautical engineering at undergraduate level. Practicing aeronautical engineers will also find the book to be a useful reference.

5 comments about The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom.

1. This was an interesting book. Not that any of his ideas have been picked up after reading this, but I appreciate the different points of view and they were refreshing to read. His attempts to reconcile the so-called rift between the Old Testament and modern science is nothing if it isn't tidy.



2. Very interesting! It is a study of the first chapter of Genesis in light of recent findings in physics, microbiology, and astrophysics. Something I found intriguing was about our (the Jewish) calendar.
   
   ". . . Logically, the calendar should start with the creation of the world. That would be the generations since Adam plus the six preceding days. But such is not the case. Two thousand years ago, long before there was any controversy over hundred-million-year-old dinosaur bones and cosmic ages reaching into the billions of years, the starting date of the biblical calendar was set at the creation of the souls of humankind (Gen. 1: 27), and not at the creation of the universe, the "In the beginning" of Genesis 1: 1." (Page 45)
   
   That is something I intend to ask my rabbi!
   
   The author then goes on to explain how, using cosmic background radiation, it can be shown that all the 16 billion years leading to Adam took place in six days. Since the first chapter of Genesis and science are in agreement as to the order in which events happened, this makes wonderfully good sense. Whether or not I am convinced will depend on what the rabbi says when I ask him about when the calendar begins - or other research to follow!
   
   Another fascinating subject was the mention of the age differences prior to the Flood:
   
   "Prior to the flood at the time of Noah, the life spans of the persons being discussed ranged from 365 years to 969 years, with the average being 840 years. Sexual maturity (the age at which a woman first gives birth) was reached at 65 to 187 years (average 115 years). Both averages are approximately ten times the current values for developed countries, obviously far from today's reality. Whatever one may think of the pre-Noah longevity, by the time of Abraham, just ten generations after Noah, life span had so decreased that the Bible required an explicit miracle for Abraham, age 99, and Sarah, age 89, to conceive a child (to be named Isaac, from the Hebrew word for laugh, as Abraham did when the angel said he and Sarah would be parents the following year; Gen. 17: 17).
   
   "The cause of this dramatic decrease in life expectancy is not stated. However, the actual age data as listed in the Bible are instructive. . . . Prior to Noah there is no strong trend either increasing or decreasing longevity. Following Noah, a trend is clear. Life span becomes shorter through the generations. The biblical concept is that change takes place over time and through generations, just as did the development of the world in the first chapter of Genesis." (Page 15)
   
   I do wish he had gone into more detail as to what he thinks may have caused the decline in age. Was there something that the Flood brought about that changed the environment? Regardless, I did find the book illuminating.



3. a fantastic book giving new insights into old historical problems, very readable even for the le-man, I highly recommended it.



4. Schroeder's theories are invaluable for anyone with strong ties to both the physical sciences and the veracity of the Bible. Without his books I would have been content to think about Bible for Bible and science for science. With his books, each one enriches and enhances the other. Science of God is his most important book, but the nitty-gritty of his time dilation theory is better-explained in Genesis and the Big Bang. Must-read.



5. For many, the answer to the above question is "no" but for me as a Christian, I've never found them to be so separate in focus so as to need a reconcilitation. True religion and proven science harmonize very well, and Schroeder has written an interesting, thought-provoking book about the seeming parallels between what the Bible states and the findings of biochemists, astrophysicists, and even paleontologists. His explanation of the six creative days of Genesis was fascinating.

5 comments about The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness.

1. This book is very technical and takes a while to read. However, the information is important enough to take the time to read the book.



2. Clear and well presented information on a revolutionary discovery that makes perfect sense of the world and times we are living in today.



3. Interesting and well researched book. I guess 2012 will let us all know if interpretations are true.



4. I really think Carl Johan Calleman is on to something. I believe this book is a must read for those interested in the new age enigma.



5. This book eliminates the guess and gives our journey meaning - towards higher consciousness. Thank you Calle,
   Hans

3 comments about Aerodynamics for Engineers (5th Edition).

1. I strongly recommend this book for those who are studying their first courses in aerodynamics. It is indeed clear, easy to understand, and, above all, very illustrated. In point of fact, I have liked aerodynamics because of this book. I used this book in my first course in aerodynamics instead of the required book given by my university (K.F.U.P.M), which was " Fundamentals of Aerodynamics written by John D. Anderson, because it avoids the complexity of derivations of equations, which might be the nightmare for some aerodynamics students particularly the beginners. Over and above this, I have been very willing and interested in reading the text because the authors have avoided tautology. Furthermore, I have digested a lots of concepts because of its very clear figures which have made a great impression on me, you know, one picture worth a 1000 words as the saying goes.

   As far as the examples given in each chapter are concerned, I believe that the authors should have added extra examples in order to see the applications of the important theories and their equations. Anyhow, some of the provided examples did come in my major exams.

   Like other aerodynamics books I have seen, this book does not provide the students with the solution of the problems given at the end of each chapter. I found that some of the theoretical questions given at the end of each chapter were among the questions my instructor used to give us in his quizzes, major, and final exams. The other thing I don not like about this book, similar to other aerodynamics books, is that it does not have a glossary. Thus, Students will have to read the text to find the definitions of the new terms. However, the definitions given are easy to memorize and comprehend as well.

   For those who are interested in full derivations of equations, I believe that this book will not be very helpful to them. They should buy " Fundamentals of Aerodynamics written by John D. Anderson" immediately.

   I believe very strongly that using both of the books I mentioned above will enable the student to pass his/her course with flying colors. I am sure as eggs are eggs that they will come in handy in quizzes, majors, final exams, plus term projects. I used both of them and I got "B". Believe you me, you will make it God willing, as I did.




2. This book and the "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics" by J.D. Anderson are the BEST aerodynamics text for the engineering students. I highly recommed them to every aerospace and mechanical engineering students.



3. 
   The book provides a great foundation in aerodynamics principles and theory for aeronautical engineers or mechanical engineers studying aerospace engineering. The book is well organized and well written with clear and easy to follow explanations.
   
   This is a reader-friendly book that most mechanical or aeronautical engineering students who require a down to earth book that teaches the fundamentals of aerodynamics will find interesting and informative.
   
   Although this is not the best book on the market, it nevertheless is worth investing in as it provides a basic though comprehensive guide to aerodynamics with a focus on fundamental principles and techniques, incorporating the latest advances in software and in hardware that have resulted in the ever increasing use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in aircraft design.

4 comments about Cosmology.

1. This isn't a review, but here's the table of contents from the publisher's webpage:
   
   1. The Expansion of the Universe
   2. The Cosmic Microwave Radiation Background
   3. The Early Universe
   4. Inflation
   5. General Theory of Cosmological Fluctuations
   6. Evolution of Cosmological Fluctuations
   7. Anisotropies in the Microwave Sky
   8. The Growth of Structure
   9. Gravitational Lensing
   10. Fluctuations from Inflation
   
   Appendices
   A. Some Useful Numbers
   B. Review of General Relativity
   C. Energy Transfer Between Radiation and Electrons
   D. The Ergodic Theorem
   E. Gaussian Distributions
   F. Newtonian Cosmology
   G. Photon Polarization
   H. The Relativistic Boltzmann Equation
   Notation
   Glossary of Symbols
   Assorted Problems



2. Wow! This is the first review of the book in the whole of internet (had reviewed it in the amazon.co.uk website). I got a copy of Steven Weinberg's Cosmology two months back though Amazon and am happy! Reminds me of the day back in early 2000 when I pre-ordered Weinberg's Supersymmetry and the day I got it was full of intellectual thrills. All the other texts had a very superficial treatment of Supersymmetry and this was also the case with Cosmology - until now, when the biggest physicist in the post-world-war-2 era wrote on the subject!
   
   Any review of Weinberg's texts is far from complete without having to say something about the Preface. The reader will remember the preface of his book on Gravitation and Cosmology where Weinberg tells us how dissatisfied he was with the usual approach to studying Gravitation and how he sees General Relativity as a consequence of constraints imposed by the quantum theory of massless Spin-2 particles. The reason for Weinberg to write the texts on Quantum Field Theory was also spelled out in the preface - he wanted to address a deep question: "Why Quantum Fields?". In the preface of this book, the author tells us that he wanted to share his experience of learning the latest development of Cosmology, since lots has happened in this area recently. Plus of course, he indirectly (and correctly!) points out how incomplete the usual review articles on Cosmology are.
   
   That indeed is true! And this book precisely will help the reader in learning Cosmology in a way where equations are actually derived and not just mentioned with a reference. Usual treatment of cosmology is vague and superficial and in this text the reader will find not only the full derivation but also good explanations.
   
   The book can be divided in 2 parts. In Chapters 1-4 the reader is introduced to topics ranging from the Robertson-Walker metric to the expanding universe to inflation. The reader has to be familiar with General Relativity to start reading this book. There is a small Appendix in the book on GR: however it should be seen as a write-up for establishing conventions. The remainder of the book (Chapters 5-10) consider advanced topics such as anisotropies, growth of structure and multi-field inflation. Weinberg mentions that he did not want to cover speculative topics and this seems to make sense for such a book. (Though I would have loved a section on the Cosmic Anthropic Principle)
   
   To summarize, this is simply the best reference for Cosmology and Weinberg has once again written a text, noboby else could have.



3. How do modern scientists form a basis for their research? "Cosmology" is a complete and comprehensive manual to anyone who is curious about he functions of this science and wants to learn more. Covering countless topics in nearly six hundred pages, such as microwave background polarization, leptogenesis, multifield inflation, and others, "Cosmology" is an ideal text for students. Enhanced with appendices containing formulas, glossaries, and more, "Cosmology" is almost a science college course on its own. A top pick for college library science collections.



4. As a graduate in experimental nuclear physics (MSc, also now a retiree of 65), I read Prof. Weinberg's The First Three Minutes, and Dreams of a Final Theory, when I was actively working in the field of nuclear engineering. I bought the author's three volume books on the QED, and, of course, this book too, because of his mathematically rigorous descriptions of theoretical models of Nature. Because I have also read Prof. Andrei Linde's "Particle Physics and Inflationary Cosmology," I have wondered if Prof. Weinberg also writes something about "Consciousness," but no mention of it, maybe simply because "Consciousness" cannot be put on a mathematically rigorous basis as yet. What I have confirmed from this book is Prof. Weinberg is, apparently, mathematically rigorous a Materialist.
   We know that there are many Dualists in the field of parapsychology, John Beloff, for example. I can understand these Dualists' position; they cannot deny the existence of Non-physical Realm as well as Physical Realm, both based on their convincing facts. But from my point of view, these Dualists are dualists because they cannot deny the existence of at least One Objective Physical Realm, i.e. our Universe. How can we, conscious Egos, (not the Unconscious) deny it! Maybe, our Universe was created as explained in this book, or as in Genesis, for example. However, we also have "Psychical Knowledge" given by the non-physical entity "Seth" through the trance-channeling of the late American writer-poet Jane Roberts (1929-1984); the knowledge tells us, the conscious Egos, that "Consciousness" is the origin of everything!

5 comments about Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions.

1. Why couldn't she be an instructor of mine?????? I'm very interested in physics and whatnot and this book is awesome. I don't know what else to say. you'll like it!



2. PROS: Deep analysis of high energy physics. Good job at explaining bizzare ideas/theories.
   
   CONS: Although Randall makes many analogies to try to grasp tough concepts, I wish she would have made even more. Also, the book could use more and better illustrations to help the reader understand these extremely complicated ideas. The book loses one star for each of those shortcomings.
   
   CONCLUSION: If you've read Stephen Hawking and found yourself wanting to know more, read this book. It's extremely difficult to subject to write about, especially for the layperson. She does a pretty good job.



3. This book intents to cover lots of topics, and fails miserably. In the first part, the author poorly reviews the development of relativity and quantum mechanics. She fails to convey the rich and puzzling nature of these theories and, in addition, writes in such an appalling style that one is left wondering whether the text had the benefits of an editor at all. The narrative line is repetitive and convoluted. There are some stylistic pearls as "the German-born Max Born". Words are repeated once and again -- has anyone counted how many time the string "later on" occurs in the text? -- and the tone is patronizing of the reader. In the second part,the author describes her own research and related topics. Here the quality of the text improves. Advice: buy only the second part of the book!



4. Professor Randall of Harvard has written a truly monumental book for physics and for those interested in science. She has brilliantly bridged the knowledge gap between the scientist and the layperson. With this book, she dispels forever the ridiculous notion that women are somehow less equipped to do science at the highest level. As a theoretical physicist, her work is perhaps the most quoted in recent history - proof that her discoveries, which opens up fresh new thinking, are among the most significant in the history of science.
   
   Warped Passages is a book that showcases Professor Randall's skills as a "model builder" in theoretical physics. Using the logic of model building, she deftly wove a tale of how past discoveries finally led to her out-of-the-box insight to use the fifth dimension to explain some of the more vexing modern day problems in physics. She demonstrated for us that with warped space, we may not even see a fifth dimension of infinite size.
   
   The book is full of creative analogies to help us understand what the human mind is not equipped to grasp - extra dimensions. It is written simply, elegantly and clearly. Even if you find the more esoteric concepts difficult to understand at a deeper level as I do, she has included at the end of each chapter bullets of key concepts that anyone can understand. After reading the book, you will find yourself able to discuss at dinner parties the more important discoveries in physics such as general relativity, quantum mechanics and extra dimensions with the confidence of a trained physicist. You will also want to learn more about the latest advances in physics. Whether you have a Ph.D. in physics or are someone with a passing interest in science, you will find this book useful, interesting, informative and exhilarating. You will be infected by her obvious enthusiasm in physics and mathematics. Professor Randall has done a great service for the advancement of science and the recruit of students into physics. As a bonus, you will see glimpses of her humanity, humor and wit.
   
   This is an exciting time in the history of physics. With this book, you will see why Professor Randall is the chief architect of what makes it exciting.



5. From the moment I first saw this book I was intrigued. I have followed developments in high energy physics only occasionally since I graduated 10 years ago. After picking up Dr. Randall's book I started feeling that excitement for science that led me to physics in the first place.
   
   Warped Passages is written in a very accessible style, with many analogies attempting to clarify complex and non-intuitive concepts. My favorite was an explanation of the strong nuclear force using events from the Trojan War. While a reader with no background in physics or mathematics will be able to follow the topics presented, exposure to these sciences exponentially increases the amount of information conveyed.
   
   The chronological presentation of particle physics history provides a background that is difficult to get otherwise. The inclusion of anecdotes and quotes from the scientists involved with the history is one of the things that makes Warped Passages so readable. This book stands out in that it not only conveys an intuitive understanding of the material, but actually delves into detail about the science. The book is clearly timed well to help build awareness and excitement as the Large Hadron Collider approaches full operation. Readers will likely be much more interested in the events unfolding at the LHC after gaining a deeper understanding of what is being sought.