What we cannot know : explorations at the edge of knowledge / Marcus du Sautoy.

Author
Du Sautoy, Marcus [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • London : 4th Estate, 2016.
  • ©2016
Description
440 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks BD161 .D86 2016 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    Britain's most famous mathematician takes us to the edge of knowledge to show us what we cannot know. Is the universe infinite? Do we know what happened before the Big Bang? Where is human consciousness located in the brain? And are there more undiscovered particles out there, beyond the Higgs boson? In the modern world, science is king: weekly headlines proclaim the latest scientific breakthroughs and numerous mathematical problems, once indecipherable, have now been solved. But are there limits to what we can discover about our physical universe? In this very personal journey to the edges of knowledge, Marcus du Sautoy investigates how leading experts in fields from quantum physics and cosmology, to sensory perception and neuroscience, have articulated the current lie of the land. In doing so, he travels to the very boundaries of understanding, questioning contradictory stories and consulting cutting edge data. Is it possible that we will one day know everything? Or are there fields of research that will always lie beyond the bounds of human comprehension? And if so, how do we cope with living in a universe where there are things that will forever transcend our understanding? In What We Cannot Know, Marcus du Sautoy leads us on a thought-provoking expedition to the furthest reaches of modern science. Prepare to be taken to the edge of knowledge to find out if there's anything we truly cannot know.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (pages 425-429) and index.
    Contents
    • Edge zero: The known unknows
    • First edge: The casino dice
    • Second edge: The cello
    • Third edge: The pot of uranium
    • Fourth edge: The cut-out Universe
    • Fifth edge: The wristwatch
    • Sixth edge: The chatbot app
    • Seventh edge: The Christmas cracker.
    ISBN
    • 9780007576661 ((hardback))
    • 0007576668 ((hardback))
    • 9780007576586 ((paperback))
    • 0007576587 ((paperback))
    • 9780007516667
    • 0007516665
    LCCN
    2016435025
    OCLC
    948411322
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