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  • The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

  • Space, Time, and Motion
  • Written by: Sean Carroll
  • Narrated by: Sean Carroll
  • Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

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The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

Written by: Sean Carroll
Narrated by: Sean Carroll
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Publisher's Summary

"A porthole into another world."—Scientific American

The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll, with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality.

Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe but those insights come in the form of equations that often look like gobbledygook. Sean Carroll shows that they are really like meaningful poems that can help us fly over sierras to discover a miraculous multidimensional landscape alive with radiant giants, warped space-time, and bewilderingly powerful forces. High school calculus is itself a centuries-old marvel as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa. And it may come as a surprise the extent to which all our most cutting-edge ideas about black holes are built on the math calculus enables.

No one else could so smoothly guide listeners toward grasping the very equation Einstein used to describe his theory of general relativity. In the tradition of the legendary Richard Feynman lectures presented sixty years ago, this book is an inspiring, dazzling introduction to a way of seeing that will resonate across cultural and generational boundaries for many years to come.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF with equations and visual elements from the book.

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

©2022 Sean Carroll (P)2022 Penguin Audio
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What listeners say about The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

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Amazing insights even for someone familiar with the subject

I've studied mechanics and classical mechanics from multiple vantage points, and at multiple levels. I've also taught basic mechanics to programmers and game developers, and completed most of an undergraduate physics degree. All that said there are still new insights here as Carroll drops brain bombs. it's my fond wish that every high school physics teacher would read this book.

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Fascinating book for anyone interested in math and science

I loved this one! I think I’ll be getting a paper copy because there are a lot of mathematical terms and expressions that can get hard to follow via audio. Overall though I think this is a great listen for anyone looking for a broken down version of current (listening to this in April, 2023) big ideas and methods used in science. There was also a thorough explanation of a lot of the origins and derivations of mathematical expressions that are used, and I found that SUPER helpful. 10/10

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