Searching for the fundamental laws of the universe, physicists have found themselves developing ambitious mathematical ideas. But without observation and experiment as their guide, are they now doing 'fairy-tale physics' as their detractors claim? In The Universe Speaks in Numbers, Graham Farmelo argues that today's greatest scientific minds are working in a tradition that dates back to Newton. He takes us on an adventure, from the Enlightenment to the breakthroughs of Einstein and Dirac, to the work of modern physicists and mathematicians shedding light on each other's disciplines, to their mutual surprise and excitement.
This blossoming relationship is responsible for huge advances in our understanding of space and time - and as Farmelo explains, could redefine reality as we know it.
'A superbly written, riveting book.' Martin Rees.
ISBN 9780571321827
Victoria Hislop returns to Crete in this long-anticipated sequel to her multi-million-copy Number One bestseller, 'The Island'.
25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences. When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy. In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large.
Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past...
ISBN 9781472278449