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Why does e=mc2

Brian Cox

First published 2009 · 274 pages

An exhilarating, accessible journey into the fundamental fabric of space, time, and reality.

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What it feels like

Reading this book feels like taking a guided tour to the very edge of human understanding, led by enthusiastic experts who make the universe's most complex mechanics feel within reach. The pace is brisk and engaging, transforming intimidating physics into an accessible, intellectually stimulating adventure. The mood is expansive and awe-inspiring, shifting from simple questions about energy and mass to mind-bending revelations about four-dimensional space-time and the Large Hadron Collider. The prose is designed to enlighten and entertain, breaking down iconic symbols into a profound exploration of reality's fabric. It is perfect for curious readers who want to grasp the fundamental laws of the cosmos and experience the thrill of twenty-first-century scientific discovery.

Mood
  • awe-inspiring
  • intellectually stimulating
  • expansive
Tone
  • accessible
  • entertaining
  • enlightening
  • inquisitive
Pace
brisk
Themes
the fabric of reality · scientific inquiry · the nature of space and time · the origins of mass
The writing
Clear, engaging, and designed to break down monumental concepts into digestible, entertaining explanations.
The arc
Moves from fundamental curiosity about simple symbols to a profound awe at the complex construction of the universe.
Who it's for
Curious minds who want to understand the fundamental laws of physics without needing a degree in mathematics.

About the book

The most accessible, entertaining, and enlightening explanation of the best-known physics equation in the world, as rendered by two of today's leading scientists. Professor Brian Cox and Professor 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, E=mc2. Breaking down the symbols themselves, they pose a series of questions: What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with energy and mass? In answering these questions, they take us to the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted. Lying beneath the city of Geneva, straddling the Franco-Swiss boarder, is a 27 km particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. Using this gigantic machine—which can recreate conditions in the early Universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang—Cox and Forshaw will describe the current theory behind the origin of mass. Alongside questions of energy and mass, they will consider the third, and perhaps, most intriguing element of the equation: 'c' - or the speed of light. Why is it that the speed of light is the exchange rate? Answering this question is at the heart of the investigation as the authors demonstrate how, in order to truly understand why E=mc2, we first must understand why we must move forward in time and not backwards and how objects in our 3-dimensional world actually move in 4-dimensional space-time. In other words, how the very fabric of our world is constructed. A collaboration between two of the youngest professors in the UK, Why Does E=mc2? promises to be one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity in recent years.

Description from Open Library.

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