Faster Than the Speed of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation - Softcover

Magueijo, Joao

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142003611 ISBN 13: 9780142003619

Publisher: Penguin Group USA, 2004

Synopsis

Say the word "light" in the context of physics, and most of us repeat the mantra: Nothing travels faster than the speed of light. Indeed, nothing does. But light is thought to have another amazing property, which Einstein enshrined in his theory of special relativity. Light travels at one speed and one speed only; it is one of nature's constants. This idea is considered sacred, and it's one of the foundations of modern physics. But what if it's wrong?

About this title

Review:

"Magueijo tells the story...with passion and considerable verve, familiarising his readers with some of the hippiest ideas in modern science." (The Observer)

"For its lucidity and persuasiveness, Joao Magueijo's book on cosmological thinking stands comparison with Simon Singh's Fermat's Last Theorem- a hip, raucous, hot-blooded, bilious and altogether bewitching expose of real science from the inside." (Daily Telegraph)

"A highly readable account of the problems besetting modern cosmology and how they appear to be resolved by [his theory]. Better still, he gives an honest and revealing insight into what it's like to carry out scientific research" (Guardian)

"Like many of the best popular science books, this is not so much a definitive statement as a thrilling report from the front. There hasn't been a writer about science this bolshy since the young James Watson- Fascinating" (Time Out)

From the Publisher:

The story of the most radical idea to have been proposed in physics since Einstein’s relativity - the suggestion that the speed of light may not be constant - by the scientist who first proposed it.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Group USA
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0142003611
• ISBN 13: 9780142003619
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288