The Elegant Universe- Review

“The Elegant Universe” was the first publication by theoretical physicist, Brian Greene. This five hundred page book aims to explain complex concepts in Physics such as String Theory, Quantum Mechanics, Special and General Relativity, Particle Physics, and M-Theory. Brian Greene is a Professor of Physics and Mathematics in the Columbia University. Brian Greene is responsible for many discoveries in the field of Superstring theory, such as Mirror symmetry and topology change, which relates to tears in space-time. The book starts out with a basic idea behind the String Theory and progresses to describe Special and General relativity. After, Greene delves into the world of Quantum Mechanics and its famed theories such as Heisenberg’s Uncertainty principle, Quantum Superposition and Quantum Tunneling, a phenomenon where particles can go through a physical barrier.

The best part about about “The Elegant Universe” is how it organizes the various topics of Physics. The book starts off with the basics that one needs to know in order to follow the rest of the book, such as the standard model of Physics, which describes the common particles that everything in the Universe is made of (such as Photons, Gluons, Gravitons etc.) concepts of Newtonian Mechanics, which describe motion and forces. It then moves into the two theories of relativity--Special and General--explaining velocity has an effect on space and time and how time travel is in fact possible. This part of the book is rather interesting because many believe that time travel is a work of science fiction, but it is very much possible according to Physics. And how acceleration and gravity (which are essentially same in Einstein’s sense) also have an effect on space-time, which is also known as Time Dilation. This effect could also be seen in the film, “Interstellar” when the team lands on a planet near a black hole, where when two hours pass on the planet, twenty years pass on Earth. A classic example of Time Dilation. Mr. Greene then moves on to explain Quantum Mechanics, discussing how a particle could be in many different places at a moment of time, and that particles in different places are somehow fundamentally entangled to each other.

And in the final part of the book, Brian Greene goes onto the String Theory, where all of the particles in the Universe are made of infinitesimal vibrating strings, and that the unique vibrations of these strings is what gives rise to all the different particles that we are familiar with. Now, this part of the book is incredibly intriguing because it gets a bit complex and mind blowing because of the implications of the Theory, such as the possible existence of a multiverse. Also, another great part about String Theory is that it masterfully unites Einstein’s relativity and Quantum Mechanics, which is one of the major problems in Modern Physics as of now. Generally, the accepted sequence in learning Physics is that you first learn Newtonian Mechanics, then Relativity and then Quantum Mechanics and finally, the String Theory. It is because of this sequence that makes the Elegant Universe relatively (no pun intended) easy to understand and fun to read. Generally, theories presented in this book are only learned by people at graduate or Ph.D. level. But Brian Greene masterfully simplifies down the theory without leaving details so that laypeople can understand. Truly amazing.

“The Elegant Universe” is a pure non-fictional masterpiece. This book immerses you in the world of Physics and helps you stay afloat in the sea of its theories. It really gives you that thrilling feeling you get when understand a complex idea. After reading this publication, it makes you feel like an expert of Physics since you are able to understand the Theories in such an eloquent way. This is a must read for anyone that is interested in Physics or science fiction in general. Personally, this book allowed me to learn about the theories in-depth and it furthered my interest in Physics. 10/10.