Briefer History of Time : From the Big Bang to the Big Mac

by SCHULMAN E

• ISBN13: 9780716733898
• ISBN10: 0716733897
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-04-01
• Publisher: ST MARTINS PRESS INC

Summary

From the Big Bang to the evolution of humans and the resignation of Richard Nixon, an astronomer offers a highly irreverent, historically entertaining, and scientifically correct overview of the most important cosmic milestones since the beginning of time.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
QUANTUM FLUCTUATION
In Which Our Universe Begins	1	(4)
INFLATION
In Which the Grand Unified Force Separates into the Four Forces of Nature as We Now Know Them, and the Universe Expands to Many Times Its Original Size in a Very Short Period of Time	5	(2)
EXPANSION
In Which the Universe Continues to Expand, though not Quite as Quickly	7	(2)
PARTICLE-ANTIPARTICLE ANNIHILATION
In Which All the Anti-particles in the Universe Annihilate Almost All the Particles, Creating a Universe Made Up of Matter and Photons	9	(3)
DEUTERIUM AND HELIUM PRODUCTION
In Which Many of the Protons and Neutrons in the Early Universe Combine to Form Heavy Hydrogen and Helium	12	(2)
RECOMBINATION
In Which Electrons Combine with Hydrogen and Helium Nuclei, Producing Neutral Atoms	14	(1)
GALAXY FORMATION
In Which the Milky Way Galaxy Forms	15	(2)
TURBULENT FRAGMENTATION
In Which a Giant Cloud of Gas Fragments into Smaller Clouds, Which Become Protostars	17	(3)
MASSIVE STAR FORMATION
In Which a Massive Star is Formed	20	(3)
STELLAR EVOLUTION
In Which Stars Evolve and Eventually Die	23	(2)
IRON PRODUCTION
In Which Iron Is Produced in the Core of a Massive Star, Resulting in Disaster	25	(2)
SUPERNOVA EXPLOSION
In Which a Massive Star Ends Its Life by Exploding	27	(3)
STAR FORMATION
In Which the Sun Forms	30	(2)
PLANETARY DIFFERENTIATION
In Which the Planet Earth Forms	32	(4)
VOLATILE GAS EXPULSION
In Which the Atmosphere of the Earth Is Produced	36	(3)
MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION
In Which Life on Earth Begins	39	(2)
PROTEIN CONSTRUCTION
In Which Proteins Are Made from Amino Acids	41	(4)
FERMENTATION
In Which Bacteria Obtain Energy from Their Surroundings	45	(1)
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
In Which Eukaryotic Life Arises	46	(1)
RESPIRATION
In Which Eukaryotes Evolve to Survive in an Atmosphere with Increasing Amounts of Oxygen	47	(1)
MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS
In Which Organisms Composed of Many Specialized Cells Arise	48	(2)
SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
In Which a New Form of Reproduction Occurs	50	(4)
EVOLUTIONARY DIVERSIFICATION
In Which the Diversity of Life Forms on Earth Increases Greatly in a Relatively Short Time	54	(3)
TRILOBITE DOMINATION
In Which Trilobites Rule the Earth	57	(1)
LAND EXPLORATION
In Which Animals First Venture Onto Land	58	(3)
COMET COLLISION
In Which a Comet Hits the Earth	61	(1)
DINOSAUR EXTINCTION
In Which the Dinosaurs Die	62	(1)
MAMMAL EXPANSION
In Which Many Species of Mammals Develop	63	(2)
HOMO SAPIENS MANIFESTATION
In Which Modern Human Beings Appear	65	(2)
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
In Which Human Beings Develop Spoken Language	67	(4)
GLACIATION
In Which A Thousand-Year Ice Age Begins	71	(2)
INNOVATION
In Which Advanced Tools Are Widely Used	73	(2)
RELIGION
In Which a Diversity of Religious Beliefs Are Developed	75	(1)
ANIMAL DOMESTICATION
In Which Humans Domesticate Animals	76	(1)
FOOD SURPLUS PRODUCTION
In Which Humans Develop Agriculture	77	(2)
INSCRIPTION
In Which Writing is Invented	79	(1)
WARRING NATIONS
In Which Nation Battles Nation for Resources	80	(2)
EMPIRE CREATION AND DESTRUCTION
In Which the First Empire in Human History Comes and Goes	82	(5)
CIVILIZATION
In Which Many and Sundry Events Occur	87	(3)
CONSTITUTION
In Which a Constitution Is Written	90	(2)
INDUSTRIALIZATION
In Which Automated Manufacturing and Agriculture Revolutionize the World	92	(2)
WORLD CONFLAGRATIONS
In Which Most of the World Is at War	94	(6)
FISSION EXPLOSIONS
In Which Humans Develop Nuclear Weapons	100	(4)
COMPUTERIZATION
In Which Computers Become Ubiquitous	104	(1)
SPACE EXPLORATION
In Which Humans Begin to Explore Outer Space	105	(6)
POPULATION EXPLOSION
In Which the Human Population of the Earth Increases at a Very Rapid Pace	111	(2)
SUPERPOWER CONFRONTATION
In Which Two Powerful Nations Risk it All	113	(5)
INTERNET EXPANSION
In Which a Network of Computers Develops	118	(2)
RESIGNATION
In Which One Human Quits His Job	120	(6)
REUNIFICATION
In Which One Country Is Split in Two and Then Becomes One	126	(4)
WORLD WIDE WEB CREATION
In Which a New Medium Is Created	130	(2)
COMPOSITION
In Which a Book Is Written	132	(2)
EXTRAPOLATION
In Which Future Events Are Discussed	134	(3)
COMPENDIOUS GLOSSARY
In Which Familiar and Unfamiliar Terms Are Defined	137