Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
Carlo Rovelli, 2015 (2016, U.S.)
Penguin Books
96 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399184413
Summary
The international bestseller that reveals all the beauty of modern physics in seven short and enlightening lessons.
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is a book about the joy of discovery.
Carlo Rovelli brings a playful, entertaining, and mind-bending introduction to modern physics, offering surprising—and surprisingly easy to grasp—explanations of Einstein's general relativity, quantum mechanics, elementary particles, gravity, black holes, the complex architecture of the universe, and the role humans play in this weird and wonderful world.
He takes us to the frontiers of our knowledge: to the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, back to the origins of the cosmos, and into the workings of our minds.
"Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and the beauty of the world," Rovelli writes. "And it’s breathtaking." (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—May 3, 1956
• Where—Verona, Italy
• Education—B.S., M.S. University of Bologna; Ph.D., University of Padova
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Marseille, France
Carlo Rovelli is an Italian theoretical physicist and writer who has worked in Italy and the USA, and currently works in France. His work is mainly in the field of quantum gravity, where he is among the founders of the loop quantum gravity theory. He has also worked in the history and philosophy of science.
Academia
In 1981, Rovelli graduated with a BS and MS in Physics from the University of Bologna, and in 1986 he obtained his PhD at the University of Padova, Italy. Rovelli refused military service, which was compulsory in Italy at the time, and was therefore briefly detained in 1987.
He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Rome, Trieste, and at Yale University. Rovelli was on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh from 1990 to 2000 where, although now in France, he continues to hold the post of Affilated Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science.
Currently, Rovelli works in the Centre de Physique Theorique at Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France. He is the first president of the Samy Maroun Center for Quantam Physics founded in 2014.
Loop quantum gravity
In 1988, Carlo Rovelli, Lee Smolin, and Abhay Ashtekar introduced a theory of quantum gravity called loop quantum gravity. In 1995, Rovelli and Smolin obtained a basis of states of quantum gravity, labelled by Penrose's spin networks, and using this basis they were able to show that the theory predicts that area and volume are quantized. This result indicates the existence of a discrete structure of space at very small scale.
In 1997, Rovelli and Michael Reisenberger introduced a "sum over surfaces" formulation of theory, which has since evolved into the currently covariant "spinfoam" version of loop quantum gravity. In 2008, in collaboration with Jonathan Engle and Roberto Pereira, he introduced the spin foam vertex amplitude which is the basis of the current definition of the loop quantum gravity covariant dynamics. The loop theory is today considered a candidate for a quantum theory of gravity. It finds applications in quantum cosmology, spinfoam cosmology, and quantum black hole physics.
Physics without time
In his 2004 book Quantum Gravity, Rovelli developed a formulation of classical and quantum mechanics that does not make explicit reference to the notion of time. The timeless formalism is needed to describe the world in the regimes where the quantum properties of the gravitational field cannot be disregarded. This is because the quantum fluctuation of spacetime itself make the notion of time unsuitable for writing physical laws in the conventional form of evolution laws in time.
This position has led him to face the following problem: if time is not part of the fundamental theory of the world, then how does time emerge? In 1993, in collaboration with Alain Connes, Rovelli has proposed a solution to this problem called the thermal time hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, time emerges only in a thermodynamic or statistical context. If this is correct, the flow of time is an illusion, one deriving from the incompleteness of knowledge.
Relational quantum mechanics
In 1994, Rovelli introduced the relational interpretation of quantum mechanics, based on the idea that the quantum state of a system must always be interpreted relative to another physical system (like the "velocity of an object" is always relative to another object, in classical mechanics). The idea has been developed and analyzed in particular by Bas van Fraassen and by Michel Bitbol. Among other important consequences, it provides a solution of the EPR paradox that does not violate locality.
History and philosophy of science
Rovelli has written a book on the Greek philosopher Anaximander, published in France, Italy, US, and Brazil. The book analyses the main aspects of scientific thinking and articulates Rovelli's views on science. Anaximander is presented in the book as a main initiator of scientific thinking.
For Rovelli, science is a continuous process of exploring novel possible views of the world; this happens via a "learned rebellion," which always builds and relies on previous knowledge but at the same time continuously questions aspects of this received knowledge. The foundation of science, therefore, is not certainty but the very opposite, a radical uncertainty about our own knowledge, or equivalently, an acute awareness of the extent of our ignorance.
Religious views
In his book on Anaximander, Rovelli argues that the conflict between science and religion is ultimately unsolvable, because (most) religions demand acceptance of some absolute truths, while scientific thinking is based on constant questioning of any truth. Thus, for Rovelli the source of the conflict is the acceptance of ignorance as the basis of science versus religion's claims that it is the repository of certainty.
Popular writings
2006 - What Is Time, What Is Space? (Di Renzo, Editore)
2011 - The First Scientist: Anaximander and His Legacy
2014 - A Journey into Loop Quantum Gravity and the History of the Main Underlying Ideas
2015 - Seven Brief Lessons of Physics
Recognition
1995 - Int'l. Xanthopoulos Award, Int'l. Society for General Relativity and Gravitation
2009 - First Prize, FQXi Contest—The Nature of Time
2013 - Second Prize, FQXi Contest—The Relation Between Physics and Information
Senior member, Institut Universitaire de France
Member, Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences
Honorary member, Accademia di Scienze Arti e Lettere di Verona
Honorary Professor, Beijing Normal University (China
(Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 3/20/2016.)
Book Reviews
The writing is elegant and poetic, and Carlo's explanatory clarity is compelling. He organized this short book into seven lessons that introduce the non-specialized reader to the most fascinating questions about the universe, including how we learn about it.
NPR
Rovelli has a rare knack for conveying the top line of scientific theories in clear and compelling terms without succumbing to the lure of elaborate footnotes... a breath of fresh air.
Guardian (UK)
Brief but eloquent... The slim volume is stereotypically the province of poetry, but this beautifully designed little book shows that science, with its curiosity, its intense engagement with what there really is, its readiness to jettison received ways of seeing, is a kind of poetry too
Financial Times (UK)
A slim poetic meditation... Rovelli belongs to a great Italian tradition of one-culture science writing that encompasses the Roman poet Lucretius, Galileo, Primo Levi and Italo Calvino. The physics here is comprehensible and limpid, and Rovelli gives it an edge through his clear-eyed humanistic interpretations.
Independent (UK)
Bite-sized but big on ideas: Carlo Rovelli’s Seven Brief Lessons on Physics…makes the mysteries of the universe almost comprehensible.
Evening Standard (UK)
Carlo Rovelli's Seven Brief Lessons on Physics has turned relativity and quantum physics into best-selling material.
la Repubblica
If you want to understand what gets physicists out of bed in the morning, there is no better guide than Rovelli.... Seven Brief Lessons on Physics is an absorbing, lovely book.... This is physics as romantic poetry and, by God, it’s beguiling
New Statesman
[Carlo Rovelli’s] concise and comprehensible writing makes sense of intricate notions such as general relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology and thermodynamics. Rovelli's enthusiastic and poetic descriptions communicate the essence of these topics without getting bogged down in details.
Scientific American
Physics has always been popularized, but professor Rovelli’s book is something else: his prose stands out as pristine and seductive at the same time, with all the substance that arouses a real interest in his readers.
Corriere della Sera
[E]nchanting.... [Rovelli] poses a Zen-like question…that leads to the book’s heart: he asserts that the study of infinitesimal particles and black holes is part of being human, and that the divide between science and the rest of learning is artificial.
Publishers Weekly
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli, one of the founders of the loop quantum gravity theory…tells you everything you ever wanted to know about physics in under 100 pages. And it's fun, too.
Library Journal
(Starred review.) Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century…. An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for Seven Brief Lessons on Physics...then take off on your own:
1. Rovelli deals with the most difficult issues of post-Newton physics: relativity, quantum physics, gravity, and much more. Consider each chapter at a time: which concepts do you find easiest to grasp...and which most difficult?
2. Overall, does Rovelli present these complex theories in a manner that lay people can understand? Where does he succeed, and where does he fall short?
3. Consider Rovelli's concept of time: it exists only when there is heat. Nothing in physics means "now"—time is only a matter of statistics. Do you grasp this esoteric idea of something we depend on in our personal lives...day by day, minute by minute? In other words how do you square Rovelli's cosmic idea of time with the concept of metrical time? Time based on entropy? Or on the earth's revolution around the sun? Einstein's time is bent by gravity. How does Rovelli's thermodynamic approach jibe with any of these concepts of time?
4. Discuss the concept of how one thing and its opposite can both be true at the same time. What other physics concepts fly in the face of "common sense"?
5. "The world seems to be less about objects than about interactive relationships," Rovelli writes. He seems to mean that everything exists only in its relationship to something else. Can you explain this more thoroughly, or find examples?
6. Rovelli says that studying physics is part of being human, that it is a way to connect us with ourselves as well as with the greater cosmos. Discuss what he means. Do you agree?
7. What are the new frontiers of physics? Where do physicists go from here according to Rovelli? Has science run up against a wall, as some physicists have worried? Or are there promises of new answers yet to come for some of the most stubborn scientific questions?
8. Talk about the book's last chapter, which encourages us to become more self-aware before it is too late. "All of our cousins are already extinct," Rovelli points out. What does he mean by self-awareness and what are the consequences of its lack? What do you take away from Rovelli's admonitions?
9. What does Rovelli have to say about free will?
10. Rovelli refers to physics as an adventure. Is it for you? Or is it a slog? Or is physics still something so arcane that it's nearly impossible for you to grasp? How have you come away from Seven Brief Lessons? Enlightened a lot? Enlightened somewhat? Or as befuddled as you were beforehand?
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime, feel free to use these, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)