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Amir Aczel

God's Equation

Modern cosmology is a fascinating area, with a constant stream of new discoveries about the universe. However, to have more than a superficial knowledge of the subject requires some acquaintance with Einstein's equation from general relativity, which can be intimidating for the newcomer to the subject. This book provides an accessible introduction to the consequences of this equation. This is mostly via biographical details of Einstein's life, but also involving the other major players in the field, including experimental test of GR and earlier work done on non-euclidean geometry. The later chapters get on to the recent work on the accelerating expansion of the Universe, and how this is related to Einstein's 'greatest blunder', that is the cosmological constant term of his field equations.

I'm always suspicious of science books with 'God' in the title, fearing they might be some sort of phoney theology. This is not the case here, Aczel has taken Einstein's use of the word (as in God does not play dice).

I read this book looking for information about the early solutions to Einstein's equations of General Relativity - the work of de Sitter, Lemaitre and others - but it turned out not to have as much detail as I wanted. However, it does have a lot of information in a fairly compact book, and is well worth reading.

Amazon.com info

Paperback 256 pages
ISBN: 0385334850
Salesrank: 131478
Weight:0.69 lbs

Published: 2000 Delta

Amazon price $10.20

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Amazon.co.uk info

Hardcover 256 pages
ISBN: 0749920823
Salesrank: 503074
Weight:1.01 lbs

Published: 2000 Piatkus Books

Marketplace::Used from £1.90

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback 256 pages
ISBN: 0385334850
Salesrank: 239608
Weight:0.69 lbs

Published: 2000 Delta

Amazon price CDN$ 12.41

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Product Description
Are we on the verge of solving the riddle of creation using Einstein's "greatest blunder"? In a work that is at once lucid, exhilarating and profound, renowned mathematician Dr. Amir Aczel, critically acclaimed author of Fermat's Last Theorem, takes us into the heart of science's greatest mystery. In January 1998, astronomers found evidence that the cosmos is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. The way we perceive the universe was changed forever. The most compelling theory cosmologists could find to explain this phenomenon was Einstein's cosmological constant, a theory he conceived--and rejected---over eighty years ago. Drawing on newly discovered letters of Einstein--many translated here for the first time--years of research, and interviews with prominent mathematicians, cosmologists, physicists, and astronomers, Aczel takes us on a fascinating journey into "the strange geometry of space-time," and into the mind of a genius. Here the unthinkable becomes real: an infinite, ever-expanding, ever-accelerating universe whose only absolute is the speed of light. Awesome in scope, thrilling in detail, God's Equation is storytelling at its finest.

Product Description

Are we on the verge of solving the riddle of creation using Einstein's "greatest blunder"?

In a work that is at once lucid, exhilarating and profound, renowned mathematician Dr. Amir Aczel, critically acclaimed author of Fermat's Last Theorem, takes us into the heart of science's greatest mystery.

In January 1998, astronomers found evidence that the cosmos is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. The way we perceive the universe was changed forever. The most compelling theory cosmologists could find to explain this phenomenon was Einstein's cosmological constant, a theory he conceived--and rejected---over eighty years ago.

Drawing on newly discovered letters of Einstein--many translated here for the first time--years of research, and interviews with prominent mathematicians, cosmologists, physicists, and astronomers, Aczel takes us on a fascinating journey into "the strange geometry of space-time," and into the mind of a genius. Here the unthinkable becomes real: an infinite, ever-expanding, ever-accelerating universe whose only absolute is the speed of light.

Awesome in scope, thrilling in detail, God's Equation is storytelling at its finest.

Another Aczel Winner *****
God's Equation is a terrific little summary of Einstein and more. I enjoyed learning more of Einstein's life with the added greater discussion of the discoveries of the universe's unfolding. I enjoyed the unfolding of the logic and science over time, where Amir tells us how the thoughts evolved over time. I find this to be more satisfying then to jump to the end result (not that there is a end yet in this subject). I'm an engineer, so the topic (and mathematics) may come easier to my type, don't know if everyone could follow the discussion (not that I followed all of it myself), but overall I could.

Another Aczel Winner *****

God's Equation is a terrific little summary of Einstein and more. I enjoyed learning more of Einstein's life with the added greater discussion of the discoveries of the universe's unfolding. I enjoyed the unfolding of the logic and science over time, where Amir tells us how the thoughts evolved over time. I find this to be more satisfying then to jump to the end result (not that there is a end yet in this subject). I'm an engineer, so the topic (and mathematics) may come easier to my type, don't know if everyone could follow the discussion (not that I followed all of it myself), but overall I could.

One of the best *****
Certainly one of the very few which presents such an important subject in a way that one goes from one chapter into the next with anticipation. I loved it! I will certainly get Mr Aczel's other famous book.

One of the best *****

Certainly one of the very few which presents such an important subject
in a way that one goes from one chapter into the next with anticipation.
I loved it! I will certainly get Mr Aczel's other famous book.

Good Primer, but... ****
A good introduction to a thoroughly arcane subject: The Theory of Relativity. But Aczel dwells far too long on Arthur Eddington and his journey to photograph an eclipse in an effort to prove or disprove Einstein's idea. The book could almost be retitled "Al and Art Tiptoe Through the Cosmos." The private respective lives of both Einstein and Eddington are not central to the topic and the search, which Einstein explains as, "...wanting to know God's thoughts." The book does present Einstein--justly or unjustly--as someone I wouldn't want to cross.

Good Primer, but... ****

A good introduction to a thoroughly arcane subject: The Theory of Relativity. But Aczel dwells far too long on Arthur Eddington and his journey to photograph an eclipse in an effort to prove or disprove Einstein's idea. The book could almost be retitled "Al and Art Tiptoe Through the Cosmos." The private respective lives of both Einstein and Eddington are not central to the topic and the search, which Einstein explains as, "...wanting to know God's thoughts." The book does present Einstein--justly or unjustly--as someone I wouldn't want to cross.

Great intro *****
God's equation is a great intro into Einstein's theory of relativity. However the book is exactly that just an easy intro avoiding anything too perplexing and of course excluding any explanation of the equations. A good book for those who want to know about the theory and what its general idea is, but not really understand how einstein came to all of his conclusions.

Great intro *****

God's equation is a great intro into Einstein's theory of relativity. However the book is exactly that just an easy intro avoiding anything too perplexing and of course excluding any explanation of the equations. A good book for those who want to know about the theory and what its general idea is, but not really understand how einstein came to all of his conclusions.

a most basic primer ***
I am beginning to think that it is possible I have just outgrown these types of science-lite books. While occasionally the review of some of the equations involved was a nice refresher I got virtually nothing new out of this book. After reading the enjoyable but far overreaching The Mystery of the Aleph I didn't have the highest of expectations from Aczel but I must say I still felt let down. Narrative style survey histories of the sciences are what Aczel does best but when he attempts to go beyond that his limits quickly become apparent. When one pumps out a book every year as Aczel does it is not surprising that the books will not be especially noteworthy - as these are not. Possibly the strangest part of this book though is how one is left with the distinct impression that Aczel is kissing up to Einstein... who is dead. I have read books before by people who were admittedly great admirers of Einstein (most notably Janna Levin) but never before have I been struck by this -to the point where one has to question his objectivity in evaluating rival points of view. If you know little or nothing of these subjects then no doubt you will find much of this book both enjoyable and informative - if you are looking for anything more than a basic primers this book has nothing to offer you.

a most basic primer ***

I am beginning to think that it is possible I have just outgrown these types of science-lite books. While occasionally the review of some of the equations involved was a nice refresher I got virtually nothing new out of this book.

After reading the enjoyable but far overreaching The Mystery of the Aleph I didn't have the highest of expectations from Aczel but I must say I still felt let down. Narrative style survey histories of the sciences are what Aczel does best but when he attempts to go beyond that his limits quickly become apparent. When one pumps out a book every year as Aczel does it is not surprising that the books will not be especially noteworthy - as these are not.

Possibly the strangest part of this book though is how one is left with the distinct impression that Aczel is kissing up to Einstein... who is dead. I have read books before by people who were admittedly great admirers of Einstein (most notably Janna Levin) but never before have I been struck by this -to the point where one has to question his objectivity in evaluating rival points of view.

If you know little or nothing of these subjects then no doubt you will find much of this book both enjoyable and informative - if you are looking for anything more than a basic primers this book has nothing to offer you.

Relativley Easy Reading ****
I was surprised to find that this book was not as technical as I expected. Much of it is biographical but gradually blends into the more complicated and perplexing findings of Einstein and others. For this reason I found the book enjoyable and interesting as well as stimulating. Those looking for glimpse into the life and insights of Einstein or for those with an interest in physics and cosmology, I would suggest this book .

Relativley Easy Reading ****

I was surprised to find that this book was not as technical as I expected. Much of it is biographical but gradually blends into the more complicated and perplexing findings of Einstein and others. For this reason I found the book enjoyable and interesting as well as stimulating. Those looking for glimpse into the life and insights of Einstein or for those with an interest in physics and cosmology, I would suggest this book .

Good Explanation of a Mind Boggling Theory ****
A meandering book that undertakes to explain the one recently observed fact that the universe appears to be expanding with increasing speed, with the historical fact that one of the results of Einstein's cosmology formulas predicted this expansion of the Universe. Einstein thought he was mistaken and corrected the formulas. The author does an admirable job keeping the subject interesting . The reader is exposed to the history of the experiments to prove Einstein's theory along with a large amount of anecdotal and biographical material of the main characters involved. No math is really discussed in this book, just the conclusions of mathematical formulas. I think the author included a little too much extraneous background. The reader should be prepared for an onslaught of material that makes one wonder if the author is begging for material to fill the pages.That point aside, I consider this author still one of the best at explaining science to the layman. On a par with Isaac Assimov in that respect.

Good Explanation of a Mind Boggling Theory ****

A meandering book that undertakes to explain the one recently observed fact that the universe appears to be expanding with increasing speed, with the historical fact that one of the results of Einstein's cosmology formulas predicted this expansion of the Universe. Einstein thought he was mistaken and corrected the formulas. The author does an admirable job keeping the subject interesting . The reader is exposed to the history of the experiments to prove Einstein's theory along with a large amount of anecdotal and biographical material of the main characters involved. No math is really discussed in this book, just the conclusions of mathematical formulas. I think the author included a little too much extraneous background. The reader should be prepared for an onslaught of material that makes one wonder if the author is begging for material to fill the pages.That point aside, I consider this author still one of the best at explaining science to the layman. On a par with Isaac Assimov in that respect.

Relatively speaking . . . ****
For fans of "Connections-style" history of science, this is a great read. It does an especially good job of chronicling the interplay between math and physics, and how general relativity could not be developed until the appropriate mathematical constructs were available. Using the cosmological constant as the common thread in exploring how general relativity has shaped our understanding of the evolution of the universe lets Aczel pull everything together in a most satisfying way. There are some weak points, however. Sprinkling a few equations in the text does nothing to clarify his explanations and gives a simplistic view of the real mathematics involved, and his inclusion of irrelevant biographical details of minor players is a bit exasperating. Nonetheless, most readers will find this time well spent.

Relatively speaking . . . ****

For fans of "Connections-style" history of science, this is a great read. It does an especially good job of chronicling the interplay between math and physics, and how general relativity could not be developed until the appropriate mathematical constructs were available. Using the cosmological constant as the common thread in exploring how general relativity has shaped our understanding of the evolution of the universe lets Aczel pull everything together in a most satisfying way. There are some weak points, however. Sprinkling a few equations in the text does nothing to clarify his explanations and gives a simplistic view of the real mathematics involved, and his inclusion of irrelevant biographical details of minor players is a bit exasperating. Nonetheless, most readers will find this time well spent.

An Accessible Introduction to Complex Physics *****
In "God's Equation", Amir Aczel explores the recent history of cosmology and physics, interwoven with a biography of Albert Einstein. Despite the fact that he is discussing complex ideas and topics, Aczel manages to explain concepts in an easy-to-understand fashion. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the book was the biography of Einstein infused in the chapters. Einstein was an amazing scientist and a fascinating person, and Aczel reveals his life in an interesting way. The reader also learns of the great work of a number of scientific/mathematical genuises of the past- such as Euclid, Planck, and Reimann. Their discoveries, like Einstein's are explained to the reader in a surprisingly accessible way. The most interesting conclusion of this book is that the universe is expanding, and will expand forever. This seems counterintuitive, for it implies a universe that began a finite time ago and will never re-contract. This is perhaps one of the most important discoveries of all time. Overall, "God's Equation" is a highly accessible and highly recommended book. It is a fast read, and one that won't be regretted.

An Accessible Introduction to Complex Physics *****

In "God's Equation", Amir Aczel explores the recent history of cosmology and physics, interwoven with a biography of Albert Einstein. Despite the fact that he is discussing complex ideas and topics, Aczel manages to explain concepts in an easy-to-understand fashion.

Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the book was the biography of Einstein infused in the chapters. Einstein was an amazing scientist and a fascinating person, and Aczel reveals his life in an interesting way. The reader also learns of the great work of a number of scientific/mathematical genuises of the past- such as Euclid, Planck, and Reimann. Their discoveries, like Einstein's are explained to the reader in a surprisingly accessible way.

The most interesting conclusion of this book is that the universe is expanding, and will expand forever. This seems counterintuitive, for it implies a universe that began a finite time ago and will never re-contract. This is perhaps one of the most important discoveries of all time.

Overall, "God's Equation" is a highly accessible and highly recommended book. It is a fast read, and one that won't be regretted.

Well written food for thought *****
In this book, Aczel proposes that Einstein's Cosmological Constant, discarded and by the genius himself considered his greatest blunder, is in fact an integral part of the equation that defines the nature of the universe, its past and its future. Some mysterious force is accelerating the expansion of the universe, pushing out on space, countering gravity and making the universe accelerate towards infinity. Aczel argues that in addition to the four known forces: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak and the strong nuclear forces, there is a fifth: the cosmological constant which is the quintessence of the universe. He spoke to many experts in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy and cosmology and integrated the ideas of prominent scientists like Eddington, Penrose and Grossman. The chapters deal with stuff like Euclid's Riddle, Riemann's Metric, the expansion of space, the nature of matter and the geometry of the universe but it also serves as a type of biography of Einstein and a history of the development of his theories. There are quotes from Einstein' work and the text is enlivened by portraits, photographs and illustrations. Although an engaging and thought provoking text, it is sometimes difficult to grasp all of the intricacies as there are many formulas that a non-mathematician would not understand. Nevertheless a uniquely stimulating work that concludes with a helpful bibliography and thorough index. I also recommend Marcus Chown's The Universe Next Door, Mark Ward's Universality: Beyond Chaos and Martin J. Rees' Before The Beginning: Our Universe And Others.

Well written food for thought *****

In this book, Aczel proposes that Einstein's Cosmological Constant, discarded and by the genius himself considered his greatest blunder, is in fact an integral part of the equation that defines the nature of the universe, its past and its future. Some mysterious force is accelerating the expansion of the universe, pushing out on space, countering gravity and making the universe accelerate towards infinity. Aczel argues that in addition to the four known forces: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak and the strong nuclear forces, there is a fifth: the cosmological constant which is the quintessence of the universe. He spoke to many experts in the fields of mathematics, physics, astronomy and cosmology and integrated the ideas of prominent scientists like Eddington, Penrose and Grossman. The chapters deal with stuff like Euclid's Riddle, Riemann's Metric, the expansion of space, the nature of matter and the geometry of the universe but it also serves as a type of biography of Einstein and a history of the development of his theories. There are quotes from Einstein' work and the text is enlivened by portraits, photographs and illustrations. Although an engaging and thought provoking text, it is sometimes difficult to grasp all of the intricacies as there are many formulas that a non-mathematician would not understand. Nevertheless a uniquely stimulating work that concludes with a helpful bibliography and thorough index. I also recommend Marcus Chown's The Universe Next Door, Mark Ward's Universality: Beyond Chaos and Martin J. Rees' Before The Beginning: Our Universe And Others.

Great read, but short on specifics ****
Well first it bears noting that this book, clocking in at just over 200 pages, reads quickly and smoothly. And it is an engaging subject. But here is my main problem. The author glossess over most of the mathematics that explain Einstein's field equation. He gives the reader the definition of a tensor, but doesn't really show him what Einstein's tensors looked like, thus the gravitational field equation lacks full meaning as presented by the author. The way I see it, this book is only fully comprehensible (meaning one can fully understand the dynamics of Einstein's general field equation) if one knows all the math behind it. Since Aczel did not include this math, he must assume that 1) The readers already know it (in which case, they probably don't need to read this book) or 2) The readers wouldn't be able to understand it. Since we must assume the latter to be the case, the book falls far short of imparting the understanding about the nature of the universe it intends to. I would have gladly read another 150 pgs just to see the math worked out. Still, the concepts are fascinating and the explanations are clear. Reccomended.

Great read, but short on specifics ****

Well first it bears noting that this book, clocking in at just over 200 pages, reads quickly and smoothly. And it is an engaging subject.

But here is my main problem. The author glossess over most of the mathematics that explain Einstein's field equation. He gives the reader the definition of a tensor, but doesn't really show him what Einstein's tensors looked like, thus the gravitational field equation lacks full meaning as presented by the author. The way I see it, this book is only fully comprehensible (meaning one can fully understand the dynamics of Einstein's general field equation) if one knows all the math behind it. Since Aczel did not include this math, he must assume that 1) The readers already know it (in which case, they probably don't need to read this book) or 2) The readers wouldn't be able to understand it. Since we must assume the latter to be the case, the book falls far short of imparting the understanding about the nature of the universe it intends to. I would have gladly read another 150 pgs just to see the math worked out.

Still, the concepts are fascinating and the explanations are clear. Reccomended.