An Infinity of Worlds
An Infinity of Worlds

Author: Will Kinney

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2023-10-03

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 0262547228

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

What happened before the primordial fire of the Big Bang: a theory about the ultimate origin of the universe. In the beginning was the Big Bang: an unimaginably hot fire almost fourteen billion years ago in which the first elements were forged. The physical theory of the hot nascent universe—the Big Bang—was one of the most consequential developments in twentieth-century science. And yet it leaves many questions unanswered: Why is the universe so big? Why is it so old? What is the origin of structure in the cosmos? In An Infinity of Worlds, physicist Will Kinney explains a more recent theory that may hold the answers to these questions and even explain the ultimate origins of the universe: cosmic inflation, before the primordial fire of the Big Bang. Kinney argues that cosmic inflation is a transformational idea in cosmology, changing our picture of the basic structure of the cosmos and raising unavoidable questions about what we mean by a scientific theory. He explains that inflation is a remarkable unification of inner space and outer space, in which the physics of the very large (the cosmos) meets the physics of the very small (elementary particles and fields), closing in a full circle at the first moment of time. With quantum uncertainty its fundamental feature, this new picture of cosmic origins introduces the possibility that the origin of the universe was of a quantum nature. Kinney considers the consequences of eternal cosmic inflation. Can we come to terms with the possibility that our entire observable universe is one of infinitely many, forever hidden from our view?

Many Worlds in One
Many Worlds in One

Author: Alex Vilenkin

Publisher: Hill and Wang

Published: 2007-07-10

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 0374707146

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A Leading Figure in the Development of the New Cosmology Explains What It All Means Among his peers, Alex Vilenkin is regarded as one of the most imaginative and creative cosmologists of our time. His contributions to our current understanding of the universe include a number of novel ideas, two of which—eternal cosmic inflation and the quantum creation of the universe from nothing—have provided a scientific foundation for the possible existence of multiple universes. With this book—his first for the general reader—Vilenkin joins another select group: the handful of first-rank scientists who are equally adept at explaining their work to nonspecialists. With engaging, well-paced storytelling, a droll sense of humor, and a generous sprinkling of helpful cartoons, he conjures up a bizarre and fascinating new worldview that—to paraphrase Niels Bohr—just might be crazy enough to be true.

The Beginning of Infinity
The Beginning of Infinity

Author: David Deutsch

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2011-03-31

Total Pages: 571

ISBN-13: 0141969695

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'Science has never had an advocate quite like David Deutsch ... A computational physicist on a par with his touchstones Alan Turing and Richard Feynman, and a philosopher in the line of his greatest hero, Karl Popper. His arguments are so clear that to read him is to experience the thrill of the highest level of discourse available on this planet and to understand it' Peter Forbes, Independent In our search for truth, how far have we advanced? This uniquely human quest for good explanations has driven amazing improvements in everything from scientific understanding and technology to politics, moral values and human welfare. But will progress end, either in catastrophe or completion - or will it continue infinitely? In this profound and seminal book, David Deutsch explores the furthest reaches of our current understanding, taking in the Infinity Hotel, supernovae and the nature of optimism, to instill in all of us a wonder at what we have achieved - and the fact that this is only the beginning of humanity's infinite possibility. 'This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals' Michael Berry, Times Higher Education Supplement 'Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive' Economist 'David Deutsch may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age' Scotsman

The Infinite Book
The Infinite Book

Author: John D. Barrow

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2007-12-18

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 0307428761

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For a thousand years, infinity has proven to be a difficult and illuminating challenge for mathematicians and theologians. It certainly is the strangest idea that humans have ever thought. Where did it come from and what is it telling us about our Universe? Can there actually be infinities? Is matter infinitely divisible into ever-smaller pieces? But infinity is also the place where things happen that don't. All manner of strange paradoxes and fantasies characterize an infinite universe. If our Universe is infinite then an infinite number of exact copies of you are, at this very moment, reading an identical sentence on an identical planet somewhere else in the Universe. Now Infinity is the darling of cutting edge research, the measuring stick used by physicists, cosmologists, and mathematicians to determine the accuracy of their theories. From the paradox of Zeno’s arrow to string theory, Cambridge professor John Barrow takes us on a grand tour of this most elusive of ideas and describes with clarifying subtlety how this subject has shaped, and continues to shape, our very sense of the world in which we live. The Infinite Book is a thoroughly entertaining and completely accessible account of the biggest subject of them all–infinity.

Destroyer of Worlds
Destroyer of Worlds

Author: Larry Niven

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2010-11-02

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 9780765361776

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The third book in the trilogy--following "Fleet of Worlds" and "Juggler of Worlds--Destroyer of Worlds" is set 200 years before the discovery of Ringworld.

Universes
Universes

Author: John Leslie

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2002-01-22

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1134770677

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Universes discusses the alleged evidence of fine tuning; mechanisms by which a varied set of Universes might be generated, and whether belief in God could be preferable to accepting universes in vast numbers.

The Fabric of Reality
The Fabric of Reality

Author: David Deutsch

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2011-04-14

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 014196961X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An extraordinary and challenging synthesis of ideas uniting Quantum Theory, and the theories of Computation, Knowledge and Evolution, Deutsch's extraordinary book explores the deep connections between these strands which reveal the fabric of realityin which human actions and ideas play essential roles.

Other Worlds
Other Worlds

Author: P. C. W. Davies

Publisher: Penguin Group

Published: 1990

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780140138771

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Paul Davies explains the significance of the amazing quantum universe, where fact is stranger than any science fiction. He takes us into a world where commonsense notions of space, time, and causality must be left behind as the realm of solid matter dissolves into vibrating patterns of ghostly energy, and where mind and matter are interwoven in a subtle and holistic manner. An Australian physicist and author of GOD AND THE NEW PHYSICS, Davies writes for the lay reader in simple language.

The Universe
The Universe

Author: John Brockman

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Published: 2014-07-08

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780062296085

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

John Brockman brings together the world's best-known physicists and science writers—including Brian Greene, Walter Isaacson, Nobel Prize-winner Frank Wilczek, Benoit Mandelbrot, and Martin Rees—to explain the universe in all wondrous splendor. In The Universe, today's most influential science writers explain the science behind our evolving understanding of the universe and everything in it, including the cutting edge research and discoveries that are shaping our knowledge. Lee Smolin reveals how math and cosmology are helping us create a theory of the whole universe. Benoit Mandelbrot looks back on a career devoted to fractal geometry. Neil Turok analyzes the fundamental laws of nature, what came before the big bang, and the possibility of a unified theory. Seth Lloyd investigates the impact of computational revolutions and the informational revolution. Lawrence Krauss provides fresh insight into gravity, dark matter, and the energy of empty space. Brian Greene and Walter Isaacson illuminate the genius who revolutionized modern science: Albert Einstein. And much more. Explore the universe with some of today's greatest minds: what it is, how it came into being, and what may happen next.

Gurps Infinite Worlds
Gurps Infinite Worlds

Author: Kenneth Hite

Publisher: Steve Jackson Games

Published: 2017-02-16

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9781556348136

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Infinite Worlds . . . Infinite Adventure! The good news is, there are other Earths. Maybe an infinite number. The bad news is, somebody out there doesn't like us. The shuttles of Infinity Unlimited jump between parallel Earths, seeking adventure, profit, knowledge, and even entertainment. But a parallel called Centrum has also developed the technology to hop between the worlds . . . and it wants to rule them all. The Infinity Patrol must deal with their ruthless rivals, as well as with world-jumping criminals, and with the possibility that the secret of dimension travel might escape to some of the really nasty alternate worlds like Reich-5. Welcome to the core setting of GURPS Fourth Edition! Every other GURPS setting is on one of the Infinite Worlds timelines . . . whether they know it or not! GMs can use this to create a whole meta-campaign, or just as an excuse to move characters between worlds when the plot requires it. Compiled by Kenneth Hite, the master of alternate histories, GURPS Infinite Worlds combines and updates material from GURPS Time Travel, GURPS Alternate Earths, and GURPS Alternate Earths 2 into one volume, and gives dozens of new worlds to explore as well! This is the complete genre book on both alternative-world gaming and time travel. It offers detailed advice on the unique challenges of running this type of campaign, and on designing and playing characters who regularly cross between settings. It also provides a wide variety of suitable threats and hazards - from evil cross-time Nazis and cosmic conspiracies to "ordinary" monsters and disasters. And it gives guidelines for building alternate worlds from the perspectives of the setting, the story, and the rules. Whether you're playing accidental travelers or the hardened troops of the Infinity Patrol, this book is your gateway to adventure. Infinite adventure.