The Physics of Star Trek

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Sure, we all know Star Trek is fiction, but warp drives and transporters and holodecks don't seem altogether implausible. Are any of these futuristic inventions fundamentally outlawed by physics as we understand it today? The Physics of Star Trek takes a lighthearted look at this subject, speculating on how the wonders of Star Trek technology might actually work--and, in some cases, revealing why the inventions are impossible or impractical even for an advanced civilization. (Example: "dematerializing" a person for transport would require about as much energy as is released by a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb). The Physics of Star Trek deserves merit for providing a refresher course on topics such as relativity and antimatter, but let's face it: the reason most people will want to read this book is simply that it's fun to poke holes in the premises of their favorite science fiction shows!

Book Description

What warps when you're traveling at warp speed?

What's the difference between a holodeck and a hologram?

What happens when you get beamed up?

What's the difference between a wormhole and a black hole?

What is antimatter, and why does the Enterprise need it?

Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I am born?

Discover the answers to these and many other fascinating questions from a renowned physicist and dedicated Trekker.

Featuring a section on the top ten physics bloopers and blunders in Star Trek as selected by Nobel-Prize winning physicists and other devout Trekkers!

"Today's science fiction is often tomorrow's science fact. The physics that underlines Star Trek is surely worth investigating. To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit."
--From the foreword by Stephen Hawking

NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

This book was not prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the Star Trek television series or films.

Customer Reviews:

Good!.......2007-04-26

This a not-so technical book that many Star Trek fans will love. Of course it requires a previous knowledge of general physics but it is very good. I enjoyed reading it and of course I have to have a college physics book by my side to get the most of it.

its possible.......2006-07-04

Some things in the 'Startrek Physics' are possible..

Maybe not as denoted in the series/movies but in some fashion.
Let me list items that could be considered TREK technology.

1. Cellphones (though more in style/form that fact).
2. Visor (the visor used in STNG) is real today.
Certain kinds of blindness can see 2d B&W with this visor.
ITs been around for years.
3. Pc's ... in a way the original STartrek could have had todays pc's or similar ...

4. Some of our medical technology is a direct cause from the original startrek in that the major inventor of much of our medical stuff in ER is from a person who watched startrek as a kid and grewup specifically to invent as much ST stuff as he could.

Yes many things in SCIFI are not possible, but much of it is in some fashion.

Besides, often what is impossible today, is often possible tomorrow.

Remember these comments:
1. We wont need more than 5 computers in the whole world.
IBM (I think).
2. We will never need more than 640k (BILL Gates, confirmed).
3. We might as well shutdown the office, everything that can
be invented, has been invented. (Patent office I belive).

AMong others,
Myself, I bet my best friend in 1976, that some variation of computers like starttrek would be around in less than 5 years.
Two years later, he paid up, as I began using computers that could be linked up to be exactly that. (Slower obviously but there).

Not for the faint of heart.......2006-06-30

The book was fine, but I didn't expect it to be oh so extremly technical.

Physics Done Well.......2006-02-25

I really enjoyed this book, it really went in depth on how or if certain technologies of Trek work or don't. Be warned, that it can get very scientific, and to the untrained eye may appear to use more techno-babble then trek itself. However, it is laid out in a very concise manner, with several diagrams as well.

A must..........2006-02-21

...for anyone who likes both "Trek" and science. Laurence Krauss shows that it is possible to enjoy "Trek" while using it as a tool to teach some physics fundamentals (usually to the effect that "Trek" physics/technology is impossible or wildly improbable). The foreword is by Stephen Hawking, also a fan, who endorses the imagination-expanding possibilities of science fiction. Remember how many engineers were inspired by the example of the late "Scotty" (he was even given an honorary engineering doctorate for it). Read, and enjoy - and learn more about the awesome universe in which we live.

Beyond Star Trek: From Alien Invasions to the End of Time

Average customer rating:

His convincing arguments against ESP, time travel and aliens visitations are based on reality
Beyond star trek by Lawrence M. Krauss
Not as good as the original
BEYOND BEAM ME UP SCOTTY........
Nice, but first book was much better

Beyond Star Trek: From Alien Invasions to the End of Time
Lawrence M. Krauss
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

Lawrence M. Krauss's publishing record reveals his knowledge of dark matter, cosmic strings, baryon number violations at the electroweak scale -- and the mysterious, sometimes bogus TV "science" that the Star Trek generation cut its teeth on. Krauss's previous book, The Physics of Star Trek, was readable, educational, and clever, never talking down to the layman or trivializing physics.

In this equally amusing companion volume, Krauss analyzes more science in Star Trek and the next generation of sci-fi movies and TV shows. Can telekinesis exist? How about ESP? Like Fox Mulder of The X-Files, we want to believe, and Krauss finesses these issues, allowing, after much discussion of gravity and electromagnetic forces, that "there is little doubt that undiscovered forces...exist at some level." He's a bit harder on the alien spacecraft of the movie Independence Day, arguing that objects so large inside our atmosphere would exert a downward pressure of 450 pounds per square inch, and that the saucers could therefore crush skyscrapers simply by hovering over them. "Of course," quips Krauss, "this wouldn't have made for spectacular previews of coming attractions." Whether you're a Trekkie, an X-phile, or a serious student of physics, you'll like this book.

Book Description

In the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek, the renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss took readers on an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the Star Trek universe to see how it stacked up against the real universe. Now, responding to requests for more as well as to a number of recent exciting discoveries in physics and astronomy, Krauss takes a provocative look at how the laws of physics relate to notions from our popular culture -- not only Star Trek, but other films, shows, and popular lore -- from Independence Day to Star Wars to The X-Files.

What's the difference between a flying saucer and a flying pretzel?
Why didn't the aliens in Independence Day have to bother invading Earth to destroy it?
What's new with warp drives?
What's the most likely scenario for doomsday?
Are ESP and telekinesis impossible?
What do clairvoyance and time travel have in common?
How might quantum mechanics ultimately affect the fate of life in the universe?

Customer Reviews:

His convincing arguments against ESP, time travel and aliens visitations are based on reality.......2006-11-11

As a lifelong science fiction fan and one well-schooled in science, I enjoy the stories while acknowledging the holes in the scientific aspects. In this book, Krauss does an excellent job of explaining the scientific realities in the context of some of the wonders we see on the screen. Star Trek, in all of its many manifestations, is the primary focus. He also discusses the "X-files" television show and the movie "Independence Day."
One of the interesting points concerns the alien ships in "Independence Day." The mother ship was so massive that its mere presence would have had a significant affect on the rotation of the Earth and its orbit around the sun. This would have caused a dramatic climate change, which all by itself could have defeated the human race.
Krauss also explores the potential for ESP and telekinesis based on our current understanding of physics. While he acknowledges that we almost certainly do not know of all the forces operating in the universe, he uses the conservation of energy to predict how powerful the motive force for ESP would have to be. He puts forward convincing arguments that the energy expended in carrying out such actions is large enough that it could not escape detection. This is a strong argument against ESP, because that means the only argument in favor is to claim the existence of a force that cannot be detected by our current instrumentation. That is a very difficult argument to make, but it is an even more difficult one to refute.
This is one of those books that I started one afternoon and finished the next day, reading nothing else in between. As Carl Sagan used to say, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." If we assume that the laws of physics are universal and we understand them to a high level of accuracy, then his arguments are overwhelmingly convincing.

Beyond star trek by Lawrence M. Krauss.......2005-08-28

Very entertaing book. Anyone with a love for science and Star trk will enjoy this book. Highly recommended

Not as good as the original.......2003-10-15

This book expands on the theme of the "Physics of Star Trek": namely drawing upon the science of today to ponder the validity and feasibility of the sci-fi science. Like its predecessor though somewhat to a lesser extent, this book suffers from a lack of vision by adhering to today's understanding of science (see my review for that book). The end result is still a readable and nice introduction to important questions in modern physics using science fiction as an example.

I found this book somewhat less interesting than its predecessor. For one thing there is some repetition with "The Physics of Star Trek". Further, the most interesting issues have already been addressed in the earlier book, leaving the crumbs to this one. So, if you have read the first book, you might not be as excited by this one. Nevertheless it is still an enjoyable read.

A word of caution, despite the "Star Trek" in the title, there is very little Star Trek in this book. Instead, the author expands the comparison to cover other cinematic shows like "X-files" or "Independence Day" (the "Beyond" part of the title). While this is OK and does not diminish the interest of the book, pure Star Trek fans who buy this book expecting to read about Star Trek will be disappointed.

BEYOND BEAM ME UP SCOTTY...............2003-07-22

Author Laurence Krauss is Chairman of the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve. He is also the author of several other books including THE PHYSICS OF STAR TREK. This book explores such topics as alien invasions, time travel, quantum reality and more in movies like X-Files, Star Wars, Indepedence Days and in other aspects of popular culture and life today. Divided into 15 chapters at 190 pages (including index) it's a fairly easy read or maybe you'd like to listen on the audio version from Amazon.
It would have been great to include a glossary since those of us that don't have a physics graduate degree might enjoy glancing at that prior to reading the text. As science fiction quickly becomes science fact, this book belongs on any techie's shelf.

Nice, but first book was much better.......2002-01-03

I am a big fan of books that use science to critically examine the (im)possibilities of Science Fiction. Lawrence Krauss did an excellent job in his 'Physics of Star Trek' book, but I am much less pleased by this sequel.

Because this book is not focussed on one SF series, it lacks the structure of the first book. Krauss seems to pick out at random some elements of science commonly used in science fiction and again at random refers to some movies or books using them.

While his analyses are usually sound and well written, they lack the thoroughness of the analyses in the first book. Where in the first book he examined every conceivable scientific road to make an SF phenomenon / machine work before considering it impossible, he now seems to stick to one or two explanations and when these don't work he discards the phenomenon / machine (e.g. faster than light travel or ESP). This leaves the reader with a lot of "Yes, but.." and "What if"'s.

Customer Reviews:

I Hated Star Trek.......2001-01-05

...until I read Richard Hanley's book. I read this book while taking Hanley's Philosophy 102 class and it really helped me understand the basic philosophical questions we were tackling. It also helped me understand why people are so obsessed with the Star Trek shows. It reminded me of Sophie's World-both books teach you about philosophy and get you thinking without boring you to death.

A challenging lecture!.......1998-02-01

Don't be misled by the title: even people who haven't seen the series will really enjoy the contents of this book. The Star Trek universe is used in a very agile way by Hanley to analize quite an interesting number of subjects, offering his point of view, and opening the door for hours of stimulating discussion.

Richard Hanley challenges the reader to reconsider (or perhaps consider seriously for the first time) a number of philosophical issues concerning our existence: what are the basic elements of our human nature (or our personhood); life after death; mind over matter...

Hanley uses the plots of different chapters of ST to make the reader think. It does not matter if the depicted scenarios are not possible with today's technology, because what really is important is the analysis of situations. For instance, as a very small sample of what you will be discussing:

- Willl androids eventually become life forms, with rights of their own?

- Is it possible to alter the past? Is it possible to alter the future?

Finally, a personal contribution for more philosophical discussion. In the episode of Unnatural Selection, we are put face to face with the Fountain of Eternal Youth: the transporter!

It's so simple to use: you store all the physical identity of yourself, say at age 20 (better make some backups too, just in case!), when you have excellent health. Any time in the future, say 20 years after (or every year, suit yourself!), you put yourself in the transporter, and they beam you somewhere (inside the same ship will do just as well!). The only thing that you have to do is ask the operator to rematerialize you using the physical information of yourself at age 20. Voilá!

A very stimulating book indeed!

The Physics of Star Trek
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The Physics of Star Trek
Lawrence M.; HAWKING, Stephen KRAUSS
Manufacturer: Basic Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Star Trek | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000OPCGTY

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Physics of Star Trek
Lawrence Krauss
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: B000UPA6FO

The Physics of Star Trek
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The Physics of Star Trek
Lawrence M. Krauss
Manufacturer: BasicBooks/HarperCollins
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: B000OSMB2I

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THE PHYSICS OF STAR TREK
Lawrence M. Krauss
Manufacturer: Harper
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VKRXYA

Average customer rating:

Scotty was right: "You canna change the laws of physics."

The Physics of Star Trek

Manufacturer: BasicBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Star Trek | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000CRO99E

Customer Reviews:

Scotty was right: "You canna change the laws of physics.".......2006-04-19

I never took biology or chemistry let alone physics in school, so I am easily intimidated by big words with Latin prefixes and Greek suffixes that explain the mysteries of the real world let alone the "Star Trek" universe. You say "quantuum" and I say "leap." Lawrence M. Krauss, Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and Professor of Astronomy and Chairman of the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve University might be making stuff up the same was as Gene Roddenberry and his heirs, but he sure makes a compelling case that is easily understood even by scientific illiterates such as myself. He certainly has the credentials, even if he spells his first name funny.

This book takes nitpicking about "Star Trek" to a whole new level, and I mean that in the best sense of the word. "The Physics of Star Trek" is divided into three sections. The first, "A Cosmic Poker Game," explores the physics of inertial dampers and tractor beams as they apply to warp speed, deflector shields, wormholes and time travel (The short answer is "No, but...," which is where it gets fascinating). The second, "Matter Matter Everywhere," covers transporter beams, warp drives, dilithium crystals, matter-antimatter engines, and the holodeck (see above short answer). The third, "The Invisible Universe, or Things That Go Bump in the Night," looks at the great unknown of the future where we may (or may not) encounter alien beings, multiple dimensions and other fun thinks from the "Star Trek" universe. There are nice diagrams to help the explanations along, filing in for Krauss' classroom chalkboard. Krauss also proves he is not alone in his major league nitpicking as he includes a Top Ten Physics Bloopers and Blunders from "Star Trek" that were selected by Noble Prize-winning physicists and other Trekkers.

In his foreword Stephen Hawking points out what we have known since Jules Verne: "Today's science fiction is often tomorrow's science fact." I believe it was Jim Kirk who said things were only impossible until you did them. If I had read this book when I first watched the original "Star Trek" in syndication it might have kindled my interest in science to a level at least appropriate for polite social conversation. I can easily imagine what reading this book might do for somewhere who loves science; opening the minds of students to the possibilities behind the television show they enjoy watching.

Average customer rating:

The Physics of Star Trek
Lawrence M. Krauss
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Average customer rating:

The Physics of Star Trek
Krauss Lawrence M.
Manufacturer: BasicBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Customer Reviews:

Good info, heavy on the math, but too preachy and not for the faint of heart........2007-08-06

An excellent entry level text on the subject. The author covers most aspects of neural networks, although not quite as in depth as I had hoped in some areas. Suitable for use as a textbook if you are taking a class on the subject, or as a self study book. Gets a bit too preachy and defensive about the practicality of neural networks. The author obviously cut his teeth in NN's during the 60/70's. IMO anyone who already bought the book doesnt need convincing that neural networks work. I recommend at least a working knowledge of calculus and statistical analysis.

A good book with a very mathematical viewpoint.......2007-04-15

If you are going to start learning neural networks, this is probably the best book with which to begin. It does a good job in how it progresses through the subject. It spends two chapters introducing the subject in a very complete fashion, then five chapters more on the subject of supervised learning with neural networks, and five more chapters on unsupervised learning. The final three chapters gets off into the subject of non-linear dynamical systems.

Although the book is very complete, it is also mathematically rigorous. To really understand it from cover to cover you would need to know - both conceptually and practically - calculus, linear algebra, adaptive signal processing, and dynamical systems, since this book assumes you already know these subjects and makes heavy use of their properties. Fortunately, to get a good basic understanding of what neural networks are and what they can accomplish, you won't need to understand the entire book. I found chapters 1-7 to be fairly accessible and self-contained. It is only once you get past the subject of supervised learning in chapter eight that the mathematics and the book get particularly difficult. Another problem with the book is that it abruptly goes from a forest to a trees viewpoint of neural networks. It will be working along in a very theoretical manner for some number of pages, when suddenly, out of nowhere, it will mention something practical or show an example that clarifies a great deal. Therefore you will need to read the book carefully.

My personal recommendation is that you go through the first seven chapters of this book to get a good viewpoint of the theoretical basics of neural networks and supervised learning, and then read Jeff Heaton's "Introduction to Neural Networks with Java" to get a good practical viewpoint on the subject. Then, if you need to return to the book for the more advanced chapters, you will be better prepared. It would also be best to use this book in conjunction with taking a course on the subject. I think it would be very rough going to try to understand this book via self-study alone.

Neural Networks Foundations.......2006-08-10

This is the first book for everyone interested in the subject. A well-written and well-illutrated encyclopedia of Neural projects, including all the fundamental questions at the forefront of research in Neural Networks. I believe this is the reason for it beeing widely referenced by almost all the authors in the subject.

Very Mathematical.......2006-05-07

I used this as a textbook for a Neural Networks course I did in the second year of my undergraduate program in Mathematics and Computing.

My mathematical background till that point of time comprised Linear Algebra and upper level Calculus. This being rather 'limited' mathematical exposure, I found the book quite difficult to follow. It becomes harder when you are expected to convert the mathematical equations into working programs (without using tool-boxes or libraries, i.e.). The end-of-chapter exercises are pretty hard, and try to go beyond what the text talks about, most undergraduates may not be able be able to appreciate that. I think this is an excellent reference book for those who are pretty comfortable with Math. For undergraduates doing a first course in Neural Networks, I strongly recommend Timothy Masters' "Practical Neural Network recipes in C++". The math there is manageable, and yes, it comes with working code to make your life easier.

Need practical examples........2005-07-25

About theory, the book is good, but; it needs more practical or numerical examples, in order to get the information understandable.
There are too many concepts and ideas that without a good example, it is very hard to assimilate.
Also the computer oriented experiments in matlab, do not use the
neural network tool box, so it is not possible to get the gap to convert knowledge into computer code.
If these two recommendations are improved in a next edition, the book will become and excellent one.

thanks,

Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation 2nd Economy Edition

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Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation 2nd Economy Edition
Haykin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall of India
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8120323734

Product Description

Book Info Provides a comprehensive foundation of neural networks, recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of the subject, supported with examples, computer-oriented experiments, end of chapter problems, and a bibliography. DLC: Neural networks (Computer science).

Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation (3rd Edition)

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Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation (3rd Edition)
Simon Haykin
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Fluid and authoritative, this well-organized book represents the first comprehensive treatment of neural networks from an engineering perspective, providing extensive, state-of-the-art coverage that will expose readers to the myriad facets of neural networks and help them appreciate the technology's origin, capabilities, and potential applications. Examines all the important aspects of this emerging technolgy, covering the learning process, back propogation, radial basis functions, recurrent networks, self-organizing systems, modular networks, temporal processing, neurodynamics, and VLSI implementation. Integrates computer experiments throughout to demonstrate how neural networks are designed and perform in practice. Chapter objectives, problems, worked examples, a bibliography, photographs, illustrations, and a thorough glossary all reinforce concepts throughout. New chapters delve into such areas as support vector machines, and reinforcement learning/neurodynamic programming, plus readers will find an entire chapter of case studies to illustrate the real-life, practical applications of neural networks. A highly detailed bibliography is included for easy reference. For professional engineers and research scientists.

Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation

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Neural Networks: A Comprehensive Foundation
Simon Haykin
Manufacturer: MacMillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8QMAU

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