The Bigger Bang

by James E. Lidsey

• ISBN13: 9780521012737
• ISBN10: 0521012732
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-06-10
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

In the last few years, scientists have begun to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the origin and early evolution of the universe. In a fresh, engaging, and highly readable introduction to these ideas, James Lidsey deftly steers us along a journey back in time to the very origin of the universe. We are introduced to the fascinating ideas scientists are currently developing to explain what happened in the first billion, billion, billion, billionth of a second - the 'inflationary' epoch. Along the way we stop off to review the latest ideas on superstrings, parallel universes and the ultimate fate of our universe. Lucid analogies, clear and concise prose and straightforward language make this book a delight to read. It makes accessible to the general reader some of the most profound and complex ideas about the origin of our universe currently challenging the world's best scientists.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Acknowledgements	ix
The Structure of the Universe	1	(7)
Why Does the Sun Shine?	8	(10)
The Expansion of the Universe	18	(5)
Space, Time and Gravity	23	(9)
Particles and Forces	32	(11)
Grand Unification, Higher Dimensions and Superstrings	43	(12)
The Big Bang	55	(11)
Beyond the Big Bang	66	(11)
The Inflating Universe	77	(10)
The Eternal Universe	87	(9)
Black Holes	96	(16)
The Birth of the Universe	112	(19)
Index	131