Achilles In The Quantum Universe

Centuries Ago, when the ancient philosopher Zeno proposed his famous paradox involving Achilles and the Tortoise, he struck at the heart of one of science's most intractable problems: How do we define the infinite? From then on, the greatest philosophers, logicians, mathematicians, and scientists, from Aristotle to Stephen Hawking, have been stymied — and driven — by infinity.Acclaimed science writer Richard Morris guides the reader on a literate and clearly written tour of the efforts to make sense of the mind-bending concept of the infinite. Starting with simple logical puzzles and progressing to the latest cosmological theories, he shows us how this very problem helped spawn groundbreaking theories such as relativity and quantum mechanics. Finally, we see how the possibility of infinite universes may hold answers to some of humankind's most fundamental questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why are we here?

• Author
• Richard Morris

• Format
• hardcover

• Publisher
• Henry Holt & Company

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 978-0-8050-4779-0

• EAN
• 9780805047790

• Genres
• science, physics, mathematics, history, philosophy

• Release date
• 1997