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Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care cover art

Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care

By: Brian Cox,Jeff Forshaw
Narrated by: Jeff Forshaw
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Summary

In one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of The Theory of Relativity in recent years, Professors Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein's most famous equation, exploring the principles of physics through everyday life.

©2010 Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw (P)2010 WF Howes Ltd

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What listeners say about Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Good but not suited to an audiobook

Whilst far from being an expert physicist I have read a fair bit about relativity and quantum mechanics etc so I was coming to this book looking to get a clearer understanding of the subject matter it deals with. The only problem is that I don't think I'm any clearer now than when I started.

I have no doubt that this is in large part due to the fact I was listening to it as an audiobook rather than reading it so don't want to put the book down too much. The book started off okay but quite quickly descended into multiple equations that I just found impossible to follow in my head which meant that large swathes of the book became impenetrable - and since each section relied on the previous it meant that everything went pear-shaped for me quite early on.

The book is a good attempt to explain how Einstein reached his famous equation but in the end, at least as an audiobook, the ideas just required too much abstract and mathematical thought in order to properly ensure understanding.

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97 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Relatively easy relativity.

There is no denying that relativity is not a subject that most of us need to understand. I'm not sure if it's something that most of can even begin to understand whether we need to or not. That said 'Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care' goes some way to making sense of the subject for the layman using real life examples and simple mathematical explanations. Read by one of the authors, Professor Jeff Forshaw, the narration is authoritative without patronising the listener. I didn't think I would enjoy this as much as I did but it was a really good listen and I am happy to give it 5 stars.

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46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good, but some equations on paper would help

Liked it. Some part are heavy but the overall thread is good. The authors strike good balance between informality accessibility and robust science. At no point does it feel dumbed down. The only real downside of an audiobook is lack of diagrams and written equations. A little pdf with the missing bits would be great.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Easier than I thought

For the first time I actually understand about time and the observer.
Brilliant book enhanced by the readers accent.
The descriptions work and while the spoken equations get a little confusing - switched off for bits - the overall value of the book is excellent.
Knocks spots of books like "A brief history of time" for ease of understanding.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Still confused!

Overall I liked it, they do their best to explain the things which are generally out of the everyman's grasp but unfortunately for me, I'm still not quite tall enough! There were some "aha!" moments but the bit I found hardest was listening to the equations. If there's one thing harder than looking at equations, it's hearing them! With a couple more listens though, I might get there, I'll try again once my fried brain has recovered, which should be in 1 year of space time. Or should that be one minute of space-time? You see I still don't get it.....

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Almost, really good attempt, very enjoyable

Audio quality is good and the reading is generally engaging and excellent. The mathematics is not massively difficult (O-Level maybe) but I'd recommend getting the hardcopy as well, as having it in black and white certainly helps understand the niceties. Like most good things it takes a certain amount of effort to achieve, but the pay off of understanding is certainly worth it :-) I'd probably give it 5 five stars for it's valiant attempt at explanation. However the fact that it will not quite pull it off for most folks with out the hard copy and the occasional knocking of others (no matter how daft) points of view, rather than concentrating on it's own narrative mean four stars from me.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent book, expertly pitched and addictive

This is a great listen, goes at just the right pace and keeps you hanging on for more. The Ionian enchantment really did blow me away. I had goose bumps at one point.

The formulas are lost on the audio listener, but if you have the book in print to back it up, that's a great partnership.

Perfect for the car, just don't drift away on a thought experiment ;-)

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Essential Listening for the Physics Layman

This is a superb book, exceptionally well read and very easy to absorb. It answered pretty much all the questions that have ever irked me about relativity and the Standard Model. It all seems so straightforward now and the fact that mankind's discovery of these processes was derived from seemingly simple thought experiments almost beggars belief.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If, like me, you are a physics layman then you simply have to give this book your attention.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Audible chose a terrible section for preview

To but bluntly I'm no science whizz but i enjoy articles on space and quantum physics sad i know. So when i had a 22hour flight to Australia i thought this would be a great book to listen to how wrong i was. I listened as the heading suggests to the whole sample file on audible.com and thought this is a book at my level of understanding and downloaded it. Well somewhere over india the book descended into an utter pile of mumbling out long complex equations that frankly even university students would require written in front of them to get their head around. Frankly haven't listened to the rest of the book only 3.5hours in i don't blame the author i think audible done a really poor job of selecting sample audio files to let you know what the book is like.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

You don't have to have a science based education to get the gist if this ....

This is exceptionally well written so that it is accessible to the uninitiated. I don't have a science based education and have maths only up to A level, but took it to heart when the authors say in chapter 5, "It is always an option to skim over the equations in search of the punch line. The mathematics makes the argument more convincing but it's okay to keep listening without following the details."
I thoroughly enjoyed this.

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7 people found this helpful