The Universe in Your Hand

Starred review from February 8, 2016
In this entertaining and comprehensive book, science educator Galfard (George's Secret Key to the Universe, with Stephen and Lucy Hawking) blends physics lessons into a story of scientific discovery. He opens the book with cosmology, looking at signs of the universe's beginning and exploring gravity, general relativity, and special relativity. Galfard then plunges into the quantum world, illuminating the nature of atoms, subatomic particles, and the fields and forces that govern our universe. Having provided an exceptional foundation, Galfard further explores outer space, culminating in a discussion of the mysteries of gravity and quantum mechanics as well as a beautiful description of string theory. He follows an intuitive progression of thoughts and questions, elucidating his material with mindbending thought experiments. The deft and dazzling imagery makes difficult concepts accessible, streamlining the progression through topics and fulfilling Galfard's promise to "not leave any readers behind." The book is amazingly easy to get through, given the sheer number of concepts covered, and there is only one equation used. Galfard was mentored by Stephen Hawking and his familiarity with the material shows, as does the ease with which he conveys it. Readers looking to expand their knowledge of physics and cosmology will find everything they need here.

January 15, 2016
Galfard (co-author, with Stephen and Lucy Hawking: George's Secret Key to the Universe, 2007) takes readers on a number of imaginary trips through the universe to help them visualize the strangeness and beauty of our mysterious universe. As a graduate student in theoretical physics at Cambridge University, the author worked on black holes under the supervision of Stephen Hawking. Since graduation, he has devoted himself to using imagery to popularize complex physics and cosmology for popular audiences lacking a background in advanced mathematics. "Picture yourself," he writes, "on a faraway volcanic island on a warm, cloudless summer night" floating through the emptiness of outer space 5 billion years from now. It's a time and place that allows you to witness the death of the sun and the end of our world. Following this jumping-off point, Galfard introduces the place of our galaxy in the larger universe of galaxies as far as 10 billion light-years from Earth. This leads him to a discussion of the expansion of the universe over time and the relative position of the Earth and three fundamental cosmological principles: "the laws of nature whatever they may be--are the same everywhere"; "there is no preferred position anywhere whatsoever; for a given observer, wherever located"; faraway galaxies will always appear to be moving away. In another imaginary trip, the author illustrates the effects of special relativity. To grasp the strangeness of quantum physics, readers must imagine shrinking to the size of an atom. In this imaginative and comprehensive survey of major scientific discoveries of the 20th and 21st centuries, the author also includes a discussion of how proponents of string theory are attempting to "unify all the known forces of nature into just one force (and therefore one theory)." A useful book for readers to visualize the complex ideas of modern physics, best read as an accompaniment to a more rigorous treatment of the subjects covered.

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Starred review from March 1, 2016
High-power mathematics has served as the auger for scientists burrowing deep into the atom, the wings for scientists soaring into deep space. Yet Galfard dispenses with mathematical formulas in this foray into modern physics, making a lively imagination the only portal necessary for general readers hungry for the intellectual excitement of astral and atomic exploration. In a series of mind-stretching gedankenexperimentsthought experimentsreaders plunge into the hydrogen atom in a water molecule, there to contemplate the quantum fields that sustain all matter, then shoot out beyond supernovas to ponder the strangely opaque boundary of space-time. At times vertiginous and even frightening (Who is ready to ride white-hot plasma into a black hole?), these probes into the universe will thrill readers but rarely perplex them. Galfard's accessible narrative draws scientific revelations out of both fantastic daydreams about wormholes and ordinary encounters with objects as mundane as a refrigerator magnet. Yet even as he initiates readers into the central concepts of twenty-first-century science, Galfard promises more, showing readers that current paradigms break down at key points (such as the birth of space-time), so emboldening daring thinkers (such as string theorists) willing to explore new horizons. Galfard leaves exhilarated readers eager to share in the forthcoming discoveries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)