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Title details for Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku - Available

Physics of the Impossible

A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

by Michio Kaku
Feodor Chin
Audiobook
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One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.
From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals–and the limits–of the laws of physics as we know them today. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains: How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers “downstream;” How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars; How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology; Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one.
Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE takes listeners on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 11, 2008

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781415946855
      • File size: 340801 KB
      • Duration: 11:50:00

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Michio Kaku ignites the mind with the topic of his new book, which explores how time travel, invisibility, teleportation, and other science-fiction adventures could be achieved in the real world without breaking the laws of physics. Kaku provides a thrilling romp through physics and the imagination, but it falls flat due to Feodor Chin's extremely slow narration. Chin's approach sounds condescending to the listener, as if Kaku's work were being presented to second-graders. While this might satisfy listeners unfamiliar with theoretical physics, it will frustrate scientists and fans of Kaku's previous books. Listeners familiar with physics will notice another drawback to the audio format--the inability to skim through the basic concepts that precede Kaku's advanced explorations into the "physics of the impossible." J.T. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 19, 2007
      In this latest effort to popularize the sciences, City University of New York professor and media star Kaku (Hyperspace
      ) ponders topics that many people regard as impossible, ranging from psychokinesis and telepathy to time travel and teleportation. His Class I impossibilities include force fields, telepathy and antiuniverses, which don't violate the known laws of science and may become realities in the next century. Those in Class II await realization farther in the future and include faster-than-light travel and discovery of parallel universes. Kaku discusses only perpetual motion machines and precognition in Class III, things that aren't possible according to our current understanding of science. He explains how what many consider to be flights of fancy are being made tangible by recent scientific discoveries ranging from rudimentary advances in teleportation to the creation of small quantities of antimatter and transmissions faster than the speed of light. Science and science fiction buffs can easily follow Kaku's explanations as he shows that in the wonderful worlds of science, impossible things are happening every day.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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