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The Ascent of Gravity: The Quest to Understand the Force that Explains Everything Hardcover – 6 April 2017

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 512 ratings

The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year 2017

'Entertaining and at times mind-boggling guide to the weakest of nature's fundamental forces, which also controls the fate of the universe' Manjit Kumar, The Times

Gravity is the weakest force in the everyday world yet it is the strongest force in the universe. It was the first force to be recognised and described yet it is the least understood. It is a 'force' that keeps your feet on the ground yet no such force actually exists.

Gravity, to steal the words of Winston Churchill, is 'a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma'. And penetrating that enigma promises to answer the biggest questions in science: what is space? What is time? What is the universe? And where did it all come from?

Award-winning writer Marcus Chown takes us on an unforgettable journey from the recognition of the 'force' of gravity in 1666 to the discovery of gravitational waves in 2015. And, as we stand on the brink of a seismic revolution in our worldview, he brings us up to speed on the greatest challenge ever to confront physics.

Kindle Storyteller Award 2024
Check out this year's winner: 'Stateside' by J.D KIRK. Read more

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Review

'Entertaining and at times mind-boggling guide to the weakest of nature's fundamental forces, which also controls the fate of the universe' -- Manjit Kumar ― The Times

'
Chown is good company. He tells his story clearly and sets out the key ideas without recourse to jargon and intimidating mathematics . . . "There has never been a better time to study gravity," Arkani-Hamed insists, and Chown's eminently readable book helps us understand why' -- Graham Farmelo ― Guardian

'
Marcus Chown is one of the UK's best writers on physics and astronomy - it's excellent to see him back on what he does best . . . no one has covered the topic with such a light touch and joie de vivre as Chown . . . It gives what I think is the best introduction to string theory at this basic descriptive level I've ever seen . . . a very readable exploration of humanity's gradual realisation of what gravity was about with all of Chown's usual sparkle . . . a delight' -- Brian Clegg ― popularscience.co.uk

'"Everyone thinks it sucks but in most of the Universe it blows." That aphoristic introduction hints at the
genial wit and scientific flair that await in Marcus Chown's primer on gravity, which traces the historic arc of our understanding of the force. He shows how Isaac Newton's 1687 Principia - which distilled fundamental laws from the complexity of the cosmos - helps to explain phenomena such as tides. He analyses Albert Einstein's reformulation of gravity as warped space-time. And he gazes into the weird realm of quantum theory - and the "undiscovered country" of the next big questions' -- Barbara Kiser ― Nature

'
Compact and accessible while remaining comprehensive. A welcome addition to anyone's popular science library, written in a relaxed style and full of relevant quotations' ― BBC Sky at Night Magazine

'
A readable romp through the history of cosmology and its possible future, all tied together through the story of how we have understood gravity . . . Chown is excellent on bringing out the temporary nature of theories, as well as the messy business of refining them' ― thebookbag.co.uk

'An
accessible history of the most well known but least understood force' ― Big Issue North

'
Mind-bogglingly brilliant' ― www.booklore.co.uk

'[Chown's] chapter on the tides, from the water in the River Severn to the squeezing and stretching of Jupiter's moon Io, is lovely . . .
One of the nicest explanations I've read of the fact that objects of different mass fall at the same rate . . . We end with the current attempt to reconcile gravity and quantum theory, and a surprisingly accessible and enjoyable discussion of string theory and multidimensional space . . . Enjoyably, Chown's book doesn't give the sense that "physics is broken" I've come across elsewhere; it's more that we're on the cusp of an exciting step change in our understanding' -- Cait MacPhee, professor of biological physics, University of Edinburgh ― THES

The "detective mystery" aspect of the subject [is] certainly something Chown captures to perfection ―
FORTEAN TIMES

A helter-skelter tour through the lives and discoveries of people who helped us understand gravity .. fascinating facts ... he gives us the clearest explanation I have yet read of Einstein's principle of relativity ... this book taught me science and science history in an engaging fashion ... Chown's style carries the reader along in the quest to understand gravity and I recommend it ... entertaining science history -- John Davies ―
ASTRONOMY NOW

Timely, accessible and peppered with quotes from Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, this history of
something we all feel but still cannot quite grasp has an admirably light touch

THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Science Book of the Year'

Timely and accessible, this history of something we all feel but still cannot quite grasp has an admirably light touch. -- Rob Kingston ―
The Sunday Times (Culture) Published On: 2018-04-15

Chown's fascinating guide to the force of gravity follows its story from Newton to the as yet undiscovered quantum theory of gravity - the holy grail of 21st-century physics. He concludes that the greatest questions in science (Where did the universe come from? What are space and time?) are tantalisingly close to being answered -- Jane Shilling ―
DAILY MAIL 'Must Read'

About the Author

Marcus Chown is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. Formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, he is cosmology consultant for NEW SCIENTIST. His books include WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, QUANTUM THEORY CANNOT HURT YOU and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KELVIN, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Royal Society Book Prize. He is also the author of the app SOLAR SYSTEM FOR iPAD, which won THE BOOKSELLER Digital Innovation of the Year award. Marcus was a regular guest on the BBC4 comedy-science show, IT'S ONLY A THEORY, and Channel 4's SUNDAY BRUNCH. He has spoken at a variety of events, including the Cheltenham Literary Festival, Sydney Writers Festival, the National Theatre and Wilderness Festival. And he has also performed stand-up comedy at a variety of venues from an upturned inflatable cow on London's South Bank to a glass-bottomed boat in a shark tank at the Brighton Sealife Centre.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicholson (6 April 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1474601863
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1474601863
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.5 x 2.6 x 24.2 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 512 ratings

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4.5 out of 5 stars
512 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate its clear explanations of complex concepts through analogies and helpful references. The writing style is accessible to readers of all abilities without being overly technical.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

34 customers mention ‘Readability’34 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They say it's a great read for amateur physicists and those who want to learn more about space.

"The book is an entertaining read for someone with a lay interest in the subject of gravity...." Read more

"...Thank you for this excellent book!" Read more

"...Please redo with another optional audible narrator. Awesome book." Read more

"A mixture of history and theory that I enjoyed reading, despite getting a little lost at times in the latter parts of the book...." Read more

33 customers mention ‘Understanding’26 positive7 negative

Customers find the book provides an excellent overview of the subject. They appreciate the clear explanations and helpful references. The book offers a good mix of science and history, with fascinating topics like gravity and related subjects covered.

"...It covers areas like newtonian physics, relativity and quantum mechanics which are also covered in other popular science books but the slant of how..." Read more

"...No heavy maths are involved. No diagrams which at times I felt may assist in understanding a difficult subject...." Read more

"A mixture of history and theory that I enjoyed reading, despite getting a little lost at times in the latter parts of the book...." Read more

"Interesting and very informed, covers all the science and makes even quantum physics understandable to the average person...." Read more

23 customers mention ‘Writing style’20 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's writing style clear and easy to read. They appreciate that the main text doesn't overdo the equations, and that the author chooses to use clear English.

"...Marcus Chown has a lucid writing style and the book is well structured into 3 sections which explain the evolution of our understanding of this..." Read more

"Well written. I read it slowly and go over the parts I find hard to comprehend again and again. No heavy maths are involved...." Read more

"...It is written in a style that is easy to read without being patronising." Read more

"...Witty in places and very cleverly written so you end up wondering why you didn't really understand it properly before having read similar books!" Read more

Disapointing
2 out of 5 stars
Disapointing
What could have been a tour de force of a highly interesting subject, turned out to be a long (90 pages) intro of Newtonian mechanics, a mediocre 60 pages about Einstein's general relativity, which doesn't include any originality.For instance the analogy to a rubber trampoline and a bowling ball, so OK we see that the "space" will be warped, but why will anything material be bothered to follow a curved path when there is no gravity now? In the absence of gravity you can place a mass anywhere near the ball and it will stay perfectly still. The author doesn't bother to explain about minimal energy.When he get's to the interesting stuff - relatively new research, he doesn't even bother to mention loop quantum gravity but concentrates on string theory which looks hopeless as the LHC is not finding any SUSY particles even at the new 13 TeV energy currently used.Annoyingly, the last chapter is filled with peoples quotations, mainly Nima Arkani-Hamed, who is a first rate physicist and (as expected) string theory enthusiast, but perhaps Mr Chown should have other sources as well?
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2021
    You don't need to be a physicist or a mathematician to enjoy reading this book and while it helps to have some understanding of modern physics, it is not essential. Marcus Chown has a lucid writing style and the book is well structured into 3 sections which explain the evolution of our understanding of this mysterious force. The first section deals with Newton's groundbreaking contributions, the second with Einstein's general theory of relativity and its explanation of what the gravitational 'force' is and the last section puts it all into the modern perspective of quantum theory. I found it easy reading on a fascinating subject. If you are interested in cosmology you should read this book. And if you are not, you should read it!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2019
    The book is an entertaining read for someone with a lay interest in the subject of gravity. It brings difficult, almost mysterious, concepts to life, with helpful references and analogies. It covers areas like newtonian physics, relativity and quantum mechanics which are also covered in other popular science books but the slant of how they relate to gravity rather than physics generally gives a different twist. Towards the end, as it gets into some of the intricacies of current thinking and research, there are a few passages which are a bit more difficult to follow, or where a leap is made with little explanation, although that may well be more a reflection of the scale of current uncertainties about gravity rather than a deficiency with the book.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 May 2017
    Well written. I read it slowly and go over the parts I find hard to comprehend again and again. No heavy maths are involved. No diagrams which at times I felt may assist in understanding a difficult subject. Really makes you think about gravity.
    Gravity is only Space Time!

    I am enjoying
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2018
    Just started it. It's not easy, that's for sure, but you just know you are learning about something so fundamental, that it keeps you persevering. I really wish this had existed in my (very distant!) schooldays. I would have had a different career for definite! Thank you for this excellent book!
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2024
    I have had the paperback for so many years, as moved to digital have the kindle version.
    I so much would like the audible version, but from the sample audible, made me recoil, (reminds me of Derek Jacobi in Frasier episode S8E12 "The show must go off".
    This is science not a pantomime.

    Please redo with another optional audible narrator.

    Awesome book.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2019
    A mixture of history and theory that I enjoyed reading, despite getting a little lost at times in the latter parts of the book.
    It is written in a style that is easy to read without being patronising.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2020
    Interesting and very informed, covers all the science and makes even quantum physics understandable to the average person.

    Regards

    Michael John Davison
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2019
    I'm not a scientist but enjoy many science books. I found this an excellent read I couldn't put down. Witty in places and very cleverly written so you end up wondering why you didn't really understand it properly before having read similar books!

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Hal Carlson
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
    Reviewed in the United States on 30 September 2020
    starting with some concepts of the consequences of gravity to more esoteric and theoreticals. admittedly some was over my head towards the end but still very enjoyable.
  • aaRGeeShah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Knowledgeable authoritative writing.
    Reviewed in India on 15 October 2021
    Kudos to the author tobtake us through revolutionary discoveries in Astronomy from early 19th centrury onwards. The writing skills and the flow sprinked at times with subtle humour makes it unputtable book.

    Can be enjoyed reading even by those educated in arts, commerce, architecture etc.. but having love and respect for the science and associated researchers.
  • frenchy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent livre de vulgarisation scientifique
    Reviewed in France on 5 April 2019
    Si vous lisez l'anglais je recommande chaudement ce livre. Agréable à lire pour tout non scientifique curieux, autant que pour des personnes ayant des notions plus avancées de physique.
  • J.McFarland
    5.0 out of 5 stars An enigma in progress
    Reviewed in Spain on 21 January 2019
    An excellent presentation and explanation of the the weakest of nature's four forces, especially so, when considering the limits imposed by simplification of such a deeply complex subject.
    A thoroughly enjoyable read and highly recommend.
  • Dr. T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gravitation: allgegenwärtig und mysteriös
    Reviewed in Germany on 20 May 2017
    Marcus Chown wurde, nach seinem Physikstudium am CalTech Pasadena, Wissenschaftsjournalist, er ist als Berater für Kosmologie für den 'New Scientist' tätig und verfasste eine Reihe populär wissenschaftliche Bücher, 'Afterglow of Creation. From the Fireball to the Discovery of Cosmic Ripples' war sein bisher größter Erfolg.

    Der Autor nimmt den Erfolg des LIGO Experiments, dem im September 2015 der Nachweis von Gravitationswellen gelang – fast genau 100 Jahre nachdem Albert Einstein ihre Existenz aus seiner Allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie gefolgert hatte -- zum Anlass, die Geschichte unseres Verständnisses der Gravitation für ein breites Publikum darzustellen.

    Die Gravitation zählt, neben der Infinitesimalrechnung (Fluxionen Theorie), zu den Entdeckungen Newtons in seinem Wunderjahr 1666, er vermutete, dass die Bewegung des Mondes und die Erdanziehung, die für das Fallen von Newtons berühmten Apfel verantwortlich ist, eine gemeinsame Ursache haben. Aus Keplers Gesetzen konnte er schließlich die Form des allgemeinen Kraftgesetzes der Massenanziehung ableiten; umgekehrt konnte er, mit Hilfe seines dynamischen Prinzips, das Galileis Bewegungsgesetz verallgemeinert, zeigen, dass sich ein Körper, unter dem Einfluss einer zentralen Gravitationskraft, sich auf einer Kegelschnittbahn bewegen muss. Newton ging aber äußerst zögerlich mit seinen Erkenntnissen um, erst auf Drängen von R. Hooke, veröffentlichte er 1687 seine 'Principia'. Dieses legendäre Werk veränderte auf immer die Art und Weise Physik zu betreiben, Newton konnte darin nicht nur die Bewegungen der Planeten im Sonnensystem aus einfachen Prinzipien erklären, er zeigte u.a. auch, dass Kometen den selben Gesetzen gehorchen, und dass das Phänomen der Gezeiten ebenfalls eine Folge der Gravitationswirkung ist.

    Die Newtonsche Mechanik wurde in den folgenden beiden Jahrhunderten zum Maßstab der Natwurwissenschaften, die Gültigkeit ihrer Gesetze wurde mit zunehmender Genauigkeit verifiziert; einer der überzeugendsten Bestätigungen stammt von Le Verrier, der 1846 aus den Abweichungen der Uranus-bahn, die Existenz eines noch unbekannten Planeten (Neptun) postulierte und seine Position berechnen konnte – und tatsächlich wurde dieser von dem Berliner Astronom Galle fast genau an der benannten Stelle gefunden.

    Die universelle Gültigkeit der Newtonschen Theorie wurde erst durch Albert Einstein relativiert. Die Geschichte scheint sich ein wenig zu wiederholen – 1905 veröffentlicht Einstein, zu dieser Zeit ist er ein Angestellter des Berner Patentamtes, vier bedeutende Arbeiten, darunter die 'Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper'. Damit löst Einstein das Konsistenz- Problem zwischen Maxwells Elektrodynamik und Newtons Mechanik, er entwickelt seine Theorie, die später Spezielle Relativitätstheorie (SRT) genannt wird, aus zwei einfachen Prinzipien: der Konstanz der Lichtgeschwindigkeit und dem (speziellen) Relativitätsprinzip, nach dem die Gesetze der Physik (genauer der Mechanik und Elektrodynamik) in allen Inertialsystem die selben sind. Einstein kann damit den (elektromagnetischen) Äther verbannen, es verlangt ihm aber die Chuzpe ab, Newtons Ansichten vom absoluten Raum und einer absoluten Zeit zu widersprechen; ihm ist aber auch sofort klar, dass die instantane Fernwirkung der Gravitation mit der SRT nicht verträglich ist, nach der sich alle physikalische Wirkungen höchstens mit Lichtgeschwindigkeit ausbreiten können. 1907 hatte Einstein eine weitere Idee, die glücklichste seines Lebens, wie er später betont, danach sind Wirkungen von Gravitation und Beschleunigung lokal physikalisch identisch, beschleunigte Bewegung gehen aber mit gekrümmten Bahnen einher, also schloss Einstein, dass er seine Relativitätstheorie auf gekrümmte Raumzeiten erweitern müsste, um die Gravitation einzubeziehen. Auf dieser Basis schuf er seine Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie (ART), es dauerte aber noch bis 1915, bis er ihre Gleichung korrekt und konsistent formulieren konnte. Als eine der Folgen der neuen Theorie konnte Einstein die Periheldrehung des Merkur erklären, an der Le Verrier gescheitert war.

    Einsteins Allgemeine Relativitätstheorie wurde in der Folgezeit aufs beste bestätigt, zunächst wies A. Eddington 1919 den Effekt der Lichtablenkung im Gravitationsfeld der Sonne nach. Sogar auf Extremsituationen lies sich die ART anwenden, etwa auf das Universum als ganzes, womit Einstein 1917 die moderne Kosmologie begründete. Karl Schwarzschild fand 1916 eine exakte Lösung – sehr zur Überraschung Einsteins – für das Gravitationsfeld einer Punktmasse, womit Schwarzschild erstmals das Gravitationsfeld eines Schwarzen Loch beschrieb, dass merkwürdiger Weise eine endlichen Ereignishorizont aufwies. In beiden Fällen, expandierendes Universum und Schwarzes Loch, haben die Lösungen eine Singularität, d.h. eine Stelle, an der physikalische Größen unendliche Werte annehmen, was nichts anderes bedeutet, als dass dort die Physik der ART zusammenbricht. Man nahm zunächst an, dass diese Singularitäten nur den unrealistisch hohen Symmetrien der Lösungen geschuldet sein könnte, dann konnten aber Penrose und Hawking beweisen, dass die Singularitäten auch unter sehr allgemeinen Voraussetzungen existieren müssen. Nun ist anzunehmen, dass in der Nähe dieser singulären Stellen, an denen Gravitation extreme Stärke annimmt, Quanteneffekte nicht mehr vernachlässigbar sind, und diese Effekte könnten in Wirklichkeit dafür sorgen, dass die physikalischen Größen endliche Werte behalten. Leider ist die Vereinigung der ART mit der Quantenmechanik eines der großen ungelösten Problem der Theoretischen Physik – die üblichen Verfahren der Quantisierung von Felder versagen, da diese Theorien in Fall der Gravitation nicht renormierbar sind. Die Gravitation gibt also noch heute, mehr als 300 Jahre nach Newton, den Forschern tiefe Rätsel auf.

    Im den letzten zwei Kapiteln geht der Autor auf einige der modernen Entwicklungen ein, Schwarze Löcher erwiesen sich dabei als ausgezeichnete Studienobjekte. Hawking wand die Unbestimmtheits Relation der Quantenmechanik auf den Ereignishorizont an und fand, dass Schwarze Löcher tatsächlich eine gewisse thermische Strahlung abgeben. In diesem Zusammenhang steht auch das Informationsparadoxon Schwarzer Löcher, dass L. Susskind und G. t' Hooft mit Hilfe der String Theorie aufzulösen versuchten. Die String Theorie ist nach Ansicht des Autor zur Zeit der einzige aussichtsreiche Kandidat für eine Theorie von 'Allem', allerdings räumt er auch ein, dass die bisherigen Versuche der Verbindung von Relativitäts- und Quanten Theorie eher evolutionär sind, während die Geschichte zeigt, dass die großem Fortschritte im Verständnis der Gravitation bisher stets mit revolutionären Neuansätzen verbunden waren. Es könnte als sehr wohl sein, dass wir für den nächsten Schritt noch eine wesentliche Idee vermissen...

    Chowns übersichtliche und gut verständliche Darstellung wird abgerundet durch kurz Listen mit Literaturquelle und Hinweise zur weiterführenden Lektüre am Ende jeden Kapitels.