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String theory, many physicists believe,
is the key to the unified field theory that eluded Einstein
for more than thirty years. At last, science has found a
way to overcome the nearly century-old rift between the
laws of the large -- general relativity -- and the laws
of the small -- quantum mechanics. String theory deftly
unites these two pillars of modern physics into a single,
harmonious whole by declaring that all of the wondrous happenings
in the universe arise from the vibrations of one single
entity: microscopically tiny loops of energy that lie deep
within the heart of matter.
In this brilliantly articulated and refreshingly
clear book, Brian Greene relates the scientific story and
the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory.
Through the artful use of metaphor and analogy, The Elegant
Universe makes some of the most sophisticated concepts
ever contemplated viscerally accessible and thoughtfully
entertaining, bringing us closer than ever to understanding
how the universe works.
Brian Greene received his undergraduate
degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Oxford
University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He joined the
physics faculty of Cornell University in 1990, was appointed
to a full professorship in 1995, and in 1996 joined Columbia
University where he is currently a professor of physics
and of mathematics, and codirector of The Institute for
Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics. He has lectured
at both a general and a technical level in more than twenty
countries and is widely recognized for a number of groundbreaking
discoveries in superstring theory.
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