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The Universe Speaks in Numbers

How Modern Maths Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets

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The Universe Speaks in Numbers

By: Graham Farmelo
Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
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About this listen

'A superbly written, riveting book.'
MARTIN REES, Astronomer Royal
'I am overcome with admiration for its range and profundity. An amazing achievement.'
MICHAEL FRAYN
'A wonderful book.'
TOM STOPPARD

A groundbreaking exploration of how the interplay of physics and mathematics has enriched our understanding of the universe - essential reading for anyone who wants to grasp how physicists are attempting, in Stephen Hawking's words, to 'know the mind of God'.

Searching for the fundamental laws of the universe, physicists have found themselves developing ambitious mathematical ideas. But without observation and experiment as their guide, are they now doing 'fairy-tale physics' as their detractors claim?

In The Universe Speaks in Numbers, Graham Farmelo argues that today's greatest scientific minds are working in a tradition that dates back to Newton. He takes us on an adventure, from the Enlightenment to the breakthroughs of Einstein and Dirac, to the work of modern physicists and mathematicians shedding light on each other's disciplines, to their mutual surprise and excitement. This blossoming relationship is responsible for huge advances in our understanding of space and time - and as Farmelo explains, could redefine reality as we know it.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Graham Farmelo (P)2019 Faber Audio
History History & Philosophy Physics Science Mathematics Cosmology Black Hole
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This book really explain the relationship between mathematics and physics I would listen to it with the pdf though as when I first read though it I didn’t have it and had no idea what was going on but great listen over all

Brilliant

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I found this to be quite a dry history of the developments in physics/mathematics that has been told many times before in popular physics books. It became more interesting in later chapters, looking at more recent developments, but I still found myself looking too frequently at how much time was remaining.

Quite a dry history of mathematics in physics.

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This book explores the history of physics and role mathematics has played in it's development. It's amazing to hear what people are able to decipher using thought experiments. A really interesting read for a lay person who has a basic awareness of quantum physics/general relativity and string theory

science history

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