Book Description
Traces the history of time from Augustine's suggestion that there is no time, to the flowing time of Newton, the static time of Einstein, and then back, to the idea that there is no time in quantum gravity.
Customer Reviews:
a surprisingly in depth introduction to time.......2007-07-11
Introducing Time starts off with Aristotle's view on time then goes on to talk about many philosophical and scientific views of time. It includes Newton's absolute time, Einstein's special and general relativity as they relate to time, including Godel Universes, and also Boltzman's statistical mechanics based view of time. All in all a lot of information in such a short book.
A highlight of the series.......2007-07-09
Great book. By the time you get to the end, you'll know quite a lot about this topic and the whole theory, but you'll be pretty confused. Why confused? Because it's a hard topic to understand or interpret. And the book explains that as well as it can. But it sure will make you think.
Time is easy to understand, until you start to think about it. These authors did that, they thought about it .......2007-03-03
Time is a concept that all humans have a fundamental grasp of. We all know that there is a direction to the events of our lives and that once an event happens, to the best of our knowledge it will always have happened. We break it down into units of years, days, hours, and minutes and in the last minute of some sporting events, tenths of seconds. However, when we really try to get a precise intellectual handle on it, time becomes fuzzy and it is very difficult to be precise. The passage of time is also relative to the situation; a few minutes in a dentist chair can appear to be much longer, yet a few hours with our true love can seem like minutes.
In this book, Callender and Edney describe some of the attempts by scientists and philosophers to precisely define what time is. Some argue that to be logically consistent, time cannot exist. That of course seems absurd, whatever else we may know, at least locally, time does have an existence and a direction. Newton, Einstein, Godel and others have refined the concept, Einstein in particular demonstrated that the passage of time is slowed when the objects are traveling at high rates of speed. Although the authors do an excellent job using cartoons and other visual devices, the true nature of time is a difficult topic. Like the apparent fate of the universe, in the end, time simply comes down to an overall increase in entropy, for that is the way we recognize the passage of time.
This is an excellent book about an apparently simple, yet very complex subject. Time is a subject that we all think we know, until we really start to think about it.
Proof that "Time" is interpretive, thus not understandable--.......2004-10-02
I purchased this book because I hoped to gain a deep or profound insight about Time from educated, intellectual minds. And while I did in fact achieve this goal, it was not thru the manner that I expected.
I support the entire "Introducing..." series by Totem because their illustrations along with genuine, serious educational content make the books highly appealing, attractive and inspiring. And this one was no exception -- in terms of doing its best to present, primarily chronologically, what informed minds from involved and associated fields had to say, or present as theory, about "Time." But -- and this is meant to have a dramatic impact -- BUT... it was through reading what these thinkers and scholars had to say about time that verified to me that nobody knows what it is. Which is a good thing; a great thing! To me this means that a little boy or girl living out in the middle of nowhere has just as much right -- and is equally "correct" -- in whatever they feel or suppose "time" is. After reading this book, I realized that nobody can 'know' what Time is, but rather they attempt to define it in ways, that when one looks at it clearly, should come to see as solely based on the way 'time' is measured. Again, time is not definable; it is open to interpretaion; one must be wary of definitions that purport to define, but really do nothing more than present notions based upon how 'time' is measured. A person who sees "time" as seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years is no more correct than a person who experiences time as an independent, deeply-personal intuitive experience.
The best part of the book is the brief area where Einstein's theories of relativity are introduced. As for the rest, to this reader, it was truly great minds "mentally masturbating." The question is: Do these great minds know they're "m.m-ing" or do they truly believe they are offering a profound contribution to the study of Time?
But, in all fairness to the book, it was not until I read it that I came to understand what I have attempted to present here. And what I would like to say to any person wondering if they should read this book: Yes, do so; but be confident in whatever you get out of the experience, in terms of your idea of time, do know that you too are equally correct!
Nobody knows or understands time. It is open to interpretation. And that is what makes it a beautiful phenomenon. "Time" has not given its secrets over to any one.
An excellent introduction to a difficult subject.......2004-06-15
The nature of time is a difficult subject. Fortunately, Craig Callender (dig the name!) has made the subject (or at least the most relevant views and issues) easier to understand in this superb little book. He begins by surveying what may be considered different types of time, including our psychological experience of temporal succession, measured time, and biological time. He then covers the difference between an absolutist (i.e., temporal succession is independent of any change in the universe) and a relational view (i.e., time just *is* change in the universe), as well as the discussion over whether time really has a direction, or whether or not reality is a space-time 'block' whose moments are individuated by an entity's location on the space-time block. In doing so, Callender surveys various arguments for or against these views, and he discusses even more intuitively odd scenarios such as backward causation and time travel. The last third or so of the book deals with time and its relation to physical laws, such as the entropy law. In treating the subject, Callender introduces the reader to all sorts of odd theoretical entities like wormholes, lightcones, and mobius twists in time. All in all, this is a great book for anyone interested in thinking a bit about what, exactly, time *is*. It is especially useful as a precursor to more academic works like MacBeath and LePoidevin's anthology, The Philosophy of Time.
Book Description
Modern physics has revealed the universe as a much stranger place than we could have imagined. The puzzle at the centre of our knowledge of the universe is time. Michael Lockwood takes the reader on a fascinating journey into the nature of things. He investigates philosophical questions about past, present, and future, our experience of time, and the possibility of time travel. And he provides the most careful, lively, and up-to-date introduction to the physics of time and the structure of the universe. He guides us step by step through relativity theory and quantum physics, introducing and explaining the ground-breaking ideas of Newton and Boltzmann, Einstein and Schroedinger, Penrose and Hawking. We zoom in on the behaviour of molecules and atoms, and pull back to survey the expansion of the universe. We learn about entropy and gravity, black holes and wormholes, about how it all began and where we are all headed. Lockwood's aim is not just to boggle the mind but to lead us towards an understanding of the science and philosophy. Things will never seem the same again after a voyage through The Labyrinth of Time.
Customer Reviews:
Well Written.......2006-09-05
This book provides a great overview of the more interesting parts of modern physics, with some emphasis on time and the philosophy of time.
It is less clearly focused on time than the cover suggests. If you want a deep and narrow focus on time, Huw Price's book Time's Arrow is more appropriate and provocative.
Labyrinth of Time explains many things better than other physics books do.
For instance, the standard description of the twin paradox suggests that acceleration is responsible for the differences in how each twin ages. Lockwood refutes that with a nifty diagram of a cylindrical space-time where unaccelerated twins age differently on world-lines of different lengths.
The book provides good explanations of why the alleged paradoxes of time travel aren't sufficient to imply that time travel is impossible.
Lockwood does a relatively good job of arguing in favor of the Everett (many world) interpretation of quantum mechanics, but that section requires enough experience with the subject that many laymen will have trouble following it.
The speculations he reports about how time might mean before the Planck time are really strange.
Exhilarating and irritating.......2005-12-05
Michael Lockwood's book is both exhilarating and irritating.
Chapter 1 introduces the ideas of tensed and tenseless time: this distinction contrasts the common sense view that time flows from an under-defined future through the instantaneous present to a fixed past, vs. the classical physics view that `now' is simply an index into a pre-existing space-time block universe, where there is no flow of time as such. This chapter may put off the casual reader, as it includes much conceptual hand-wringing on the meaning of words. It is a reminder of why science uses precise models expressed in mathematical language, with its clear semantics and rules of inference, rather than ordinary language discussion.
Chapters 2-7 are far better. A conceptually clear explanation of special and general relativity, with a discussion of time travel (closed timelike curves) and mechanisms such as wormholes for accomplishing it.
Chapter 8 changes gear as Lockwood introduces the Hamiltonian approach to classical mechanics, and phase spaces. Chapters 9 and 10 form an extended discussion about the role of entropy in time asymmetry, placed in a historical context. Again interesting and clear.
Things get murky again in chapters 11-13. These purport to be a discussion about why we remember the past, but not the future, but the discussion is shapeless, visiting a number of topics in a meandering fashion.
Chapter 14 brings us to Quantum Mechanics. As is the fashion these days, we are taken briskly through the `old quantum mechanics' to Hilbert spaces and energy eigenstate superposition as the driver of time-varying quantum probabilities. We are then brought to the Measurement Problem, the EPR paper and the various interpretations of QM. This is all pretty brisk, and the reader really needs to have had prior exposure to the Hilbert space formulation of QM to follow what is going on here. Lockwood, like David Deutsche, is a supporter of the `many worlds' interpretation of QM - he prefers a variant model comprising an `actuality' dimension. In chapter 15 he explains why this model (space-time-actuality) can resolve time travel paradoxes. Chapter 16 is a clear conceptual discussion of string/M-theory and loop quantum gravity - the two main unification thrusts in current physics.
Chapter 17 suddenly goes off in an new direction, focusing on the neurological and philosophical basis of our psychological construct of the present moment. This is an extended period - Lockwood thinks about a second - called `the specious present'. The chapter ends in an obscure philosophical debate on `the temporal mode of presentation'. And that's it, the book ends.
Read this book for the explanations of relativity, quantum mechanics and current frontier thinking in fundamental physics, where it is first-rate. The chapters which deal specifically with philosophical issues probably appeal to a different audience: they seem irritating and nit-picking to this reviewer - why not translate the discussions into formal models where they can be analysed properly?
Finally, a number of issues are not well analysed or resolved, such as the nature of causality, the subjective view of time flowing and the reasons why we don't remember the future. Surely these are not purely philosophical issues, disconnected from our best physical theories? The lack of a concluding chapter is also a serious omission. Finally, you would need a degree in maths or a science subject to really engage with this book.
A non-Mathematical Description of Modern Cosmology.......2005-09-23
As I picked up this book I was reminded of the old story of how at around 1900 the world's understanding of physics was considered 'all knowed up.' To be sure, there were a few constants to be evaluated to a few more decimals. Then came 1905 and an obscure physicist published a paper that turned everything upside down. His name was Einstein. Among the things that was turned upside down was our understanding of time. It appears that the fundamental nature of time is very far fron what common sense would lead us to believe.
This book has the simple intent of changing the way that we look at time. It discusses the latest theories to in a non-mathematical approach intended for the non-scientist. The concepts he discusses are at the leading edge of presently understood cosmology. Perhaps understood is to strong a word, believed.
Surprising to me is that the author has taught philosophy at Oxford for many years. As such he is willing to talk about things like time travel that the more doctrinaire physicists don't mention. Note that non-mathematical does not necessarily mean simple. These are not elementary concepts. Good Reading!
Book Description
The fascinating story of one of the world's most famous rock 'n' roll songs
Customer Reviews:
Great read.......2006-04-11
I suppose I was always going to say that, having already been converted myself to Louie Louie as "the only rock and roll song you'll ever need" (collected 60+ versions to date). It's just a fascinating journey with so many unexpected twists and turns but the ever present "duh duh duh". And still amazingly relevant today. And funny!
Intrigue, high drama, and twists and turns.......2005-05-12
A new preface by the author graces the pages of Louie Louie: The History & Mythology Of The World's Most Famous Rock N Roll Song. While it's hard to see how any song, however famous, could earn an entire book discussion, once you delve into Dave Marsh's Louie Louie, with its intrigue, high drama, and twists and turns, it's hard to see what took so long for the full tale to come to light - and yes, it earns its own book. This new edition provides a new preface by Marsh as it covers the complexities of a song which involved even the FBI.
excellent history, memetics.......2002-01-10
By following the fate of one song Marsh gives us an excellent feel for how culture operates at a middle scale, somewhere between the micro-scale of individual performances and listenings and the macroscale of decades-long changes in musical styles. If you're interested in "memetics" but tired of empty bloviation about mind viruses and such, read this book and follow one musical meme on its tour of the memesphere.
The history of Rock'n'Roll: one song's perspective.......2001-11-05
Okay--truth be told, I bought this book as a joke. This book is no joke. Dave Marsh, an excellent writer, put together a real page-turner. (...)
Everything you wanted to know about Louie, Louie and more........1995-11-25
Half way through this book I knew more about this rock
song then I had ever wanted to know and then it kicked
in to the history of Paul Revere and the Raiders. I
keep on and she what other obscure trivia is to be
revealed.
Average customer rating:
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Introducing the Holy Land: A Guidebook for First Time Visitors
James Maxwell Miller
Manufacturer: Mercer University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Middle East
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ASIN: 0865540349 |
Book Description
This new series from Totline puts the spotlight on circle time. Teachers will discover quick, easy ideas to incorporate into their lessons when they gather children together for this important time of the day. Quick, easy ideas for hands-on learning! Helps kids learn through their senses. Encourages the development of ,language skills. , Captivates active children. Includes instant ways to introduce preschoolers to colors, numbers, shapes, and relationships.
Amazon.com
A tiny dinosaur with a feisty attitude marches across the wilderness defending the friendly and furry from the mean and hungry. Told entirely without words, the stories highlight the amazingly detailed art and visual storytelling genius of creator Masashi Tanaka. An instant sensation in Japan where these comics adventures first appeared.,
Gon is being reprinted in America for the first time.
Customer Reviews:
Pint-Sized Tyrannosaur Stars In Three Unforgettable Tales.......2005-09-16
This is the book that introduced Gon - world's last dinosaur, one foot tall midget tyrannosaur, alternately playful and cuddly or as ferocious as an enraged Hulk when need be - to North American audiences. Featuring a different artistic style (especially in the first story, "Gon Eats And Sleeps") than the later Gon volumes but no less phenomenal. In the back of the book are photorealistic drawings of the real-life species depicted in the three tales - so photorealistic, in fact, that at first I thought they were actual black-and-white photographs. That's how great the art is.
"Gon Eats And Sleeps" is possibly the most essential tale in understanding this enigmatic little dinosaur. Readers who start with a subsequent volume may well ask themselves 'why does he keep tormenting that poor bear so?' In this tale we see the beginning of the rivalry between these two titans, a rivalry it seems the Bear is always destined to come up with the short end of the stick on. Basically, Gon takes great umbrage when a large grizzly bear chases a smaller one off a catch of fish the smaller bear has caught. And thus the lifelong animosity begins, an animosity that notably doesn't extend to other bears, just this one, 'The Bear'.
It isn't always spelled out as clearly in subsequent volumes, but when Gon goes on the offensive against The bear or some other creature, it seems obvious there is some past transgression (usually directed against one of Gon's small, defenceless animal friends, it seems)that has sparked the blood feud. Ferocious but valiant, Gon marches through life enjoying the world and defending the weak with his own sense of justice, and while I don't feel the little guy is sadistic or mean he sure can be an intimdating force. As I noted in doing a writeup on "Gon Color Spectacular" Gon never kills his foes and they seldom are worse off than a few bruises and scratches; too much serious carnage would definately ruin the charm and tone of the series.
The second tale, "Gon Learns To Fly" is one of the most hilarious tales in the Gon pantheon and simply has to be seen to be believed. Words cannot do this an adequate description, but talk about refusing to admit defeat! And in "Gon Glares" - which certainly boasts some of the most, er, unique visual imagery ever captured on paper through either pen or photo, we see that even in defending his circle of friends Gon is not without compassion for his predatory adversaries. A perfect ending to a perfect book; a perfect start to a whole series of unforgettable Gon adventures!
Gon.......2002-10-08
One of the best manga's of all time. Gon is loved greatly by children and many adults in Japan and has recently come to America! This is a great buy and I suggest looking into the entire series. I have been an anime/manga fan for 9years now, and I can confidently say you won't be disappointed with this buy.
Enter the Dino Mind.......2002-09-21
Gon is, by and far, an enjoyable journey through the greatly unexplored world of nature and is introduced to us in the most unlikely of ways. Here, amidst an untamed world, we meet the most unlikely of travelers, that of a two-foot-tall unstoppable force that just happens to be one of the cutest/aggressive characters ever to grace a storyline, as he looks for fun, adventure, and something to eat. This book is where the adventures of Gon, the adorable dinosaur with a voracious appetite for exploration/competetion, begins, introduced to us in short story forums. We join Masashi Tanaka as he relays this through silent adventure after silent adventure, speaking wheels through expressions and a flurry of emotive responses instead of simple spurts of meaningless dialog.
Here, Gon first battles and then humiliates an otherwise gargantuan bear that otherwise seems to dominate the wilderness, ends up flying with the aid of a few eagles after a strange little adventure in feeding/protecting some little ones, torments a dingo looking for some easy pickings, fights alongside some wolf cubs he seems somewhat attracted to, lives amongst the penguins, and builds himself a mansion that makes even the beavers enviously agitated.
If you've never had the opportunity to check this out, I would recommend it highly. The art style, the character itself, and the fact that I've never found myself bored throughout five books filled with him, says that Gon is a force to be reckoned with.
Great artistic skills and dynamic imagery.......1998-03-28
You. Yes, you. Get this book. This is the first release from Masashi Tanaka and what a release it is ! It is simply the best artwork I have ever seen in comic books, or anywhere else for that matter. Small and fierce Gon kicks butt!
He's Gon, but he'll be back!.......1997-01-19
For those of you that liked jurassic park, Bambi and 101 dalmations, but hate Barney, Gon is for you. Gon is a VERY small dinosaur from a bygone age, he has no problems being the last dinosaur, and seems to enjoy the arrogance of his seeming indestructability. He is a staunch defender of the downtrodden and the helpless, as well as his lunch. The art is fantastic, the stories (no words) flow well and are completely enjoyable
Average customer rating:
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The Interactive Computing Series: Outlook 2002 - Brief
Kenneth Laudon
Manufacturer: Career Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
E-mail
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Outlook
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ASIN: 0072471794 |
Book Description
The Interactive Computing Series is the Visual, Interactive way to develop and apply software skills. This Skills based approach coupled with its highly illustrated, 2 page-spread design is ideal for the intro CIS course, the self-paced course or students in non-traditional education settings.
Books:
- Introduction to Bayesian Networks
- Introduction to California Soils and Plants: Serpentine, Vernal Pools, and Other Geobotanical Wonders (California Natural History Guides)
- Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life
- Itchy Little Musk Ox
- Lake and Pond Management Guidebook
- Looking at Maps and Globes (Rookie Read-About Geography)
- Macroecology
- Mediated Modeling: A System Dynamics Approach To Environmental Consensus Building
- Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment (with 1pass for MeteorologyNOW)
- Mitigation Banking: Theory And Practice
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