Gravity Does Not Exist

Every scientific fact was born as an opinion about the unknown - a hypothesis. Opinion gradually becomes fact as evidence piles up to support a theory. But what if there are two theories, each of which has produced a myriad of things that correspond perfectly to the phenomena but can't be combined into one? One theory replaced the mystery of gravity with a precise model of space and time. The other theory replaced the mystery of matter with a description of quantum particles. As we understand our universe, we keep each in its own domain: space and time for very large things, particles for the very small ones. However, 13.8 billion years ago, those two incompatible domains belonged to a single realm. Who in the current or future generations of physicists will crack this seemingly impossible puzzle? This, contends the author, is not just a big question, but the biggest question in physics in our century. Combining Ickes's first-hand knowledge with a robust argument and intellectual playfulness, this fascinating book succeeds in making a notoriously difficult subject accessible to all readers interested in a better grasp of our universe. -Vincent Icke is professor of theoretical astrophysics at Universiteit Leiden, professor of cosmology at the University of Amsterdam, visual artist, and writer.

"What we know always leads to what we do not know. This book follows the historical path of the most brilliant theories in physics, and the people who made them: the general theory of relativity and quantum field theory. The paths of these very successful descriptions of the Universe intersect. When the two theories collide, the light that they shed on the understanding of our world is extinguished. We do not know the road ahead. Can they be merged into a single theory? Nobody has an answer yet. Where are the clues? In theory, experiments, mathematics, or cosmology? Is the most important physics question of our time too difficult, or is the answer already growing in the mind of a young woman or man somewhere in the world?"--Book jacket.

"What we know always leads to what we do not know. This book follows the historical path of the most brilliant theories in physics, and the people who made them: the general theory of relativity and quantum field theory. The paths of these very successful descriptions of the Universe intersect. When the two theories collide, the light that they shed on the understanding of our world is extinguished. We do not know the road ahead. Can they be merged into a single theory? Nobody has an answer yet. Where are the clues? In theory, experiments, mathematics, or cosmology? Is the most important physics question of our time too difficult, or is the answer already growing in the mind of a young woman or man somewhere in the world?"--Book jacket.

An award-winning science writer traces our millennia-long effort to understand the phenomenon of gravity--the greatest mystery in physics, and a force that has shaped our universe and our minds in ways we have never fully understood until now.

This is a provocative account of the astounding new answers to the most basic philosophical question: Where did the universe come from and how will it end?

One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade "Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, Helgoland, and Anaximander comes a concise, elegant exploration of time. Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe. Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.

This is the first reasoned, and supported theory ever published explaining how gravity is created. Neither Newton nor Einstein could do this. Whereas relativity is a theory that explains how matter responds to gravity, this book describes how gravity is created and the mechanisms by which gravity exerts its influence on matter from atoms to planets, stars, and galaxies. It also provides, again, for the first time, a mechanism for inertia and momentum and discusses an improved version of Newton's equation. All in simple language that anyone can understand. Written without mathematics for everyone from students to professional astronomers, this book has received many unsolicited five-star rating testimonials, from youngsters to PhD scientists, many of which are reproduced on its second and third pages, including: "Newton was reported to have stated that his work was relevant only because he could stand on the shoulders of past giants. Your work is, of course, a step beyond. [H.G.K.]"

The General Theory of Relativity: A Mathematical Exposition will serve readers as a modern mathematical introduction to the general theory of relativity. Throughout the book, examples, worked-out problems, and exercises (with hints and solutions) are furnished. Topics in this book include, but are not limited to: tensor analysis the special theory of relativity the general theory of relativity and Einstein’s field equations spherically symmetric solutions and experimental confirmations static and stationary space-time domains black holes cosmological models algebraic classifications and the Newman-Penrose equations the coupled Einstein-Maxwell-Klein-Gordon equations appendices covering mathematical supplements and special topics Mathematical rigor, yet very clear presentation of the topics make this book a unique text for both university students and research scholars. Anadijiban Das has taught courses on Relativity Theory at The University College of Dublin, Ireland, Jadavpur University, India, Carnegie-Mellon University, USA, and Simon Fraser University, Canada. His major areas of research include, among diverse topics, the mathematical aspects of general relativity theory. Andrew DeBenedictis has taught courses in Theoretical Physics at Simon Fraser University, Canada, and is also a member of The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. His research interests include quantum gravity, classical gravity, and semi-classical gravity.