Universe on a T-Shirt: the Quest for the Theory of Everything.
DAN FALK
Theoretical physicists The following is a partial list of theoretical physicists: Ancient Times
- Pythagoras^* (circa 569–475 BCE)
- Democritus° (circa 460 BCE)
- Archimedesº* (287–212 BCE)
15–16th century
- Nicolaus Copernicusº (1473-1543)
are on a mission: Reduce the laws of physics to an equation that's succinct enough to fit on the back of a T-shirt. They want to do for all things in the universe what Albert Einstein did for relativity, in his famous distillation E=m[c.sup.2]. Falk, an award-winning science writer, summarizes the history of this quest and where it stands today. He starts with the foundations of physics Foundations of Physics is the most prestigious journal in physics on the subject of foundational problems facing modern physics. It publishes only a handful of papers each month from prominent physicists, in contrast to the American Physical Society’s Physical Review series as postulated pos·tu·late
tr.v. pos·tu·lat·ed, pos·tu·lat·ing, pos·tu·lates
1. To make claim for; demand.
2. To assume or assert the truth, reality, or necessity of, especially as a basis of an argument.
3. by Aristotle and then charts the field's evolution through the breakthroughs of Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Einstein, and many of these scientists' contemporaries. Falk endorses the idea that the best hope for a so-called theory of everything is in string theory, a difficult area of science that Falk nevertheless deftly unravels for the uninitiated un·in·i·ti·at·ed
adj.
Not knowledgeable or skilled; inexperienced.
n.
An uninformed, unskilled, or inexperienced person or group of people. . Originally published in Canada in 2002. Arcade, 2004, 246 p., b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $24.95.
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