Now: The Physics of Time

by Richard A. Muller

Overview

From the celebrated author of the best-selling Physics for Future Presidents comes “a provocative, strongly argued book on the fundamental nature of time” (Lee Smolin).

You are reading the word "now" right now. But what does that mean? "Now" has bedeviled philosophers, priests, and modern-day physicists from Augustine to Einstein and beyond. In Now, eminent physicist Richard A. Muller takes up the challenge. He begins with remarkably clear explanations of relativity, entropy, entanglement, the Big Bang, and more, setting the stage for his own revolutionary theory of time, one that makes testable predictions. Muller’s monumental work will spark major debate about the most fundamental assumptions of our universe, and may crack one of physics’ longest-standing enigmas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393354812
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/19/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	396,990
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Richard A. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and the best-selling author of Physics for Future Presidents. For his outstanding work in experimental cosmology, he was awarded a 1982 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and also a share of the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of dark energy.

Editorial Reviews

"Entertaining and at times refreshingly idiosyncratic…Richard Muller’s new theory deserves a serious look, and his book presents important lessons in physics and beyond."

Physics Today - Martin Bojowald

"Can science shed light on time’s dark mysteries? Richard Muller thinks it can, making his case in this clear, evocative, and wide-reaching investigation of how nature may generate the flow of time. Must-reading for all concerned with the why behind when."

Timothy Ferris

"Richard Muller is a leading physicist, but he’s also intellectually restless. That’s a potent combination, with the power to generate transformative ideas about ourselves and our relationship to the universe. In Now: The Physics of Time, Muller hypothesizes how time itself might be created or destroyed. Maybe it’s right. Maybe it’s wrong. But along the way he’s given you a master class in what time is and how and why we perceive it the way we do."

Neil deGrasse Tyson

"A provocative, strongly argued book on the fundamental nature of time. As an experimental cosmologist who has initiated some of the most important experiments of our time, Muller knows well where the limits of science are, and he keeps us interested by his ability to work close to that edge."

Lee Smolin

"Muller has taken a remarkably fresh and exciting approach to the analysis of time. With his usual clarity and wit, he proceeds from solidly established principles—each a fascinating story in its own right—but when he gets to the meaning of the flow of time and now, he forges a new path. I expect controversy!"

Saul Perlmutter

"Mind-blowing…[Muller] posits a theory that seems at once plausible and—surprisingly, for a book with equations—one worth not spoiling."

Time

"The kind of mind-expanding read that will give you something to think about late at night. Muller's passion for his topic shines through on every page."

Dennis Green

"A thoughtful, thought-provoking and accessible book that blends concepts from relativity, thermodynamics and quantum theory to elucidate how physics got where it is, and the missteps that might have led it there."

New Scientist - Richard Webb

"[A] concise master class in understanding the essentials of physics."

Science - Lisa Jardine-Wright

07/04/2016
Muller (Physics for Future Presidents), professor of physics at the UC Berkeley, looks anew at the physics of time in this provocative book. Scientists have puzzled over a definition of now for centuries. Einstein’s relativity theory showed that time is dependent on the observer’s frame of reference, but the news that the speed of light is constant for all observers also removed any hopes of the existence of universal simultaneity. Even more intriguing, relativity showed that time actually slows for moving objects, giving life to a host of paradoxes. Muller addresses the largest question—can the “arrow” of time go forward only?—by giving readers a closer look at the nature of entropy and how it has increased since the Big Bang. But the discovery of the Higgs boson opened up the possibility that entropy isn’t driving the forward march of time. Quantum physics may yet yield a “quantum arrow” to time, Muller says, based by work by Richard Feynman and others. With a little help from such pop culture touchstones as Star Trek, Jurassic Park, and Calvin and Hobbes, Muller delivers an intriguing glimpse at the physics behind time. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Time spent with Muller will transform readers' understanding of time itself.…A mind-expanding venture to the frontiers of science—and beyond!"

Booklist (starred review)

"The strength of this book lies in Muller’s experience as a lecturer and teacher, which has enabled him to describe and explain difficult concepts with simplicity.… [Now] provides a concise master class in understanding the essentials of physics."

Science

"The kind of mind-expanding read that will give you something to think about late at night. Muller's passion for his topic shines through on every page."

The Independent

08/01/2016
Muller (physics, Univ. of California, Berkeley; Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines) spends much of his book debunking the "arrow of time" theory and reassuring readers that physics cannot explain everything. These are not concerns that average readers are aware of or worry about, and this title is obviously intended for those who have studied physics before, preferably at the college level. The first section tackles relativity in a way that will trigger the memories of former (or current) physics students but is unsatisfying to nonexperts. Overreliance on equations is not to blame, however. Indeed, later sections with more math are actually better explained. It is unclear how individual chapters are related to one another or the main topic. Attempts to discuss philosophy, religion, and free will are disorienting and unhelpful, as are references to the author's own work and the many Nobel Prize winners he has known. VERDICT This volume is best for those who are already familiar with physics and who want to jump straight into the problem of studying time. Novices would do better to read some of the works of Neil deGrasse Tyson, such as Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries.—Cate Hirschbiel, Iwasaki Lib., Emerson Coll., Boston

Library Journal

2016-06-21
Educated readers know that time is one of four dimensions, but most can't shake the feeling that it's the odd man out. They will enjoy this popular account of "an extremely simple yet fascinating and mysterious concept."Muller (Physics/Univ. of California; Energy for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines, 2012, etc.) frequently quarrels with earlier popular accounts, disobeys the taboo on mathematics, and concludes that time is even odder than once imagined. One peculiarity is that, unlike length, width, and depth, time moves. "We can stand still in space but not in time," writes the author. "We move in time but have no control over that movement—unless, of course, time travel proves possible." Musing about time since the dawn of history, philosophers concluded that it was absolute and inexplicable. Early physicists, Newton included, did not disagree until Einstein, Muller's hero, came along with his revolutionary theories. Using ingenious insight and simple mathematics, his special relativity proved that time is flexible, stretchable, and perhaps even reversible. Using complicated mathematics in general relativity, he proved that it is bound up with gravity, which is not a force but a consequence of the distortion of space—really, spacetime—by the uneven distribution of mass in the universe. Muller admits that time is so bound up with gravity and space that one cannot discuss them in isolation, so his book turns out to be a history of the universe beginning at the Big Bang and ending at today's mysteries (dark energy, quantum gravity, string theory), with detours into current explanations (mostly wrong, in his opinion) of time. Not for the faint of heart or mathematically averse, but Muller is a masterful guide within this survey of cosmology.

Kirkus Reviews