The End of Everything - Katie Mack

The End of Everything

By Katie Mack

  • Release Date: 2020-08-04
  • Genre: Physics
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 123 Ratings

Description

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY * THE WASHINGTON POST * THE ECONOMIST * NEW SCIENTIST * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY * THE GUARDIAN

From one of the most dynamic rising stars in astrophysics, an “engrossing, elegant” (The New York Times) look at five ways the universe could end, and the mind-blowing lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology.

We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And what does it mean for us now?

Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was a young student, when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know.

Reviews

  • The cosmology book you really want to read

    5
    By jweinberger
    Katie Mack is brilliant, fun, entertaining, funny and relatable all in presenting an incredibly complex and deep topic. She makes cosmology accessible to anyone interested and makes it fun to read. The geek-humor is endlessly entertaining. If you love exploring cosmology or just want an introduction, read this. And I can’t wait for her next book...
  • Interesting and approachable

    5
    By Forest10W
    This book is a great overview of many of the current developments in theoretical physics. I have a layman’s understanding of the physics discussed in this book but the author’s writing and explanations were easy to understand. It was a great read!
  • Katie Mack - The End of Evertyhing

    5
    By Basil Karas
    Katie Mack is brilliant, and this book, considering the beginning and possible end(s) of our universe is a worthy successor to Carl Sagan, in that deep astrophysical and cosmological material is both accessible to the layperson, as well as the science literate...all dosed with her signature humorous asides. Cannot recommend highly enough!

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