The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces Summary and Reviews

The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces
by Frank Wilczek

The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces
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Book Summary Information

Author: Frank Wilczek
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-26
ISBN: 0465003214
Number of pages: 292
Publisher: Basic Books

Book Reviews of The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces

Book Review: A Challenging but rewarding Read
Summary: 5 Stars

This is my second attempt at reading work from Frank Wilczeck, the first being Fantastic Realities which had my head spinning on 48 of his 49 mind journeys.

I took "The Lightness of Being" to the beach thinking I could squeeze in a few chapters while the kids played. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down, as my intense state of sunburn now confirms.

There are some tough challenges as Wilczeck sets the scene in the world of the strong force before examining the implications of the origin of mass. For those relativists out there, it will be a challenge, but not before too long the stage is set for the announcement of Wiczeck's over-riding theory of the 'Grid'. The elegant description of the 'Grid' by Wilczeck is in my opinion a more satisfying resolution to unification than the esoteric string theory and loop quantum gravity. Central to the grid is an incorporation of both quantum field theory and general relativity in a lattice which defines how energy in each of the occupying spaces of the grid is expressed when the grid is disturbed.

As I cooked in the sun, a lot of loose ends I had with force unification started to be tied off. It has certainly got my mind racing to the extent I will have to read it again...and again.....and again. A great book that I would strongly recommend for those up to the challenge.

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