The Universe in the Rearview Mirror

April 29, 2013
A Drexel University physics professor offers readers an informative, math-free, and completely entertaining look at the concept of symmetry in physics. Goldberg begins by explaining that for something to be considered symmetrical, it must look the same after undergoing a transformation—whether being flipped over, spun around, or reflected in a mirror. Sounds simple enough, but Goldberg insists that symmetries reveal some compelling rules of the universe. For example, CPT symmetry (or charge, parity, and time symmetry, the kind found when all particles and antiparticles have been turned into the opposite of themselves, everything has been flipped in a mirror, and the flow of time has been reversed—basically the ultimate transformation) suggests that “the universe is more or less the same in all directions and in all places.” Throughout his fascinating discussion, Goldberg’s writing remains accessible and full of humor. Intriguing asides cover topics like the veracity of Star Trek (it “could totally happen”), how black holes shrink the more matter they consume, and why you should never teleport a teaspoon of material from a neutron star into the cargo hold of your starship. Seasoning his exposé with pop culture references that range from Doctor Who to Lewis Carroll to Angry Birds, Goldberg succeeds in making complex topics clear with a winning style. Photos & illus.

May 15, 2013
Goldberg (Physics/Drexel Univ.; A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty, 2010, etc.) delivers relentlessly cheerful but comprehensible explanations of a dozen profound features of the universe. Great scientific discoveries are less often the result of a new idea or equation than when someone realizes that things that appear different are, in fact, the same. Discovering that different things are identical often involves finding symmetries and almost-but-not-quite symmetries, a concept central to Goldberg's approach to questions that seem trivial, such as, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" The Big Bang certainly began with equal amounts of matter and antimatter which should have annihilated each other, producing nothing. Yet the universe is made up of matter, with antimatter a rare laboratory curiosity. It turns out subtle differences exist between the two, but despite this, scientists don't know why matter came out on top, although Goldberg explains what might have happened. Readers may be startled to learn that "nothing" can't exist because it violates quantum laws. Empty space teems with particles that appear and vanish almost instantly. Not only does physics permit this, but experiments detect it. Everyone assumes that time only moves forward, but physical laws don't require it, and all work fine if time runs backward, although this would produce paradoxes, which the author is happy to recount. Goldberg belongs to the science-is-boring school of popularizers, so he peppers his text with jokes, apologies, digressions and cutesy asides ("In which I set everything up, so it's probably best not to skip ahead"), but tolerant readers will learn a great deal about the current state of physics and cosmology.

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