Was there a beginning of time?, Could time run backwards? and Is the universe infinite are just some of the questions considered in this book for the non-scientific layman. The author begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein and then delves into the secrets which lie at the heart of space and time.

Unravelling the latest amazing breakthroughs in theoretical physics, Stephen Hawking guides the reader through the evolution of Einsteinian physics to a universe of ten dimensions and a so-called theory of everything.

String theory proclaims that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe are reflections of one grand physical principle and manifestations of one single entity: microscopically tiny vibrating loops of energy. This text relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind this theory.

The author, one of the pioneers of string theory, has produced an accessible guide for the general reader to some of the most formidable modern concepts of mathematics and physics. These include string theory itself, hyperspace, non-Euclidean geometry, Kaluza-Klein theory and supergravity.

In this revised edition, Stephen Hawking includes recent developments in the field of cosmology. Explaining his theories through a visual dimension, the book is designed to help the lay reader to understand abstract ideas, such as the big bang , black holes, and particle physics.

Covering subjects ranging from the personal to the scientific, this is a collection of Stephen Hawking's essays and other pieces. They reveal him as scientist, man, concerned world citizen and imaginative thinker. A transcript of his conversation on Desert Island Discs is included.

'A magnificent challenge to conventional ideas' Financial Times 'I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It manages to be both challenging and entertaining: it is highly recommended' the Independent '(Greene) send(s) the reader's imagination hurtling through the universe on an astonishing ride.

The story of 15 billion years of cosmic evolution, transforming matter and life into consciousness, how science and civilization grew up together and the forces and individuals who helped shape modern science. The book aims to make scientific ideas accessible and exciting.

Introduces readers to the physics of black holes, examines the needless friction between science and religion in the context of historical conflicts and assails the movie industry's feeble efforts to get its night skies right.

During the past years, dramatic improvements in methods of observing astrophysical phenomena space have added to our knowledge of the universe. This book presents an overview of physical cosmology, and also discusses the attempts to understand the origin and structure of the universe.

Getting a grip on the creation and ultimate fate of the universe is one of the great scientific stories of the twentieth century. In the twenty-first, the story is expanding to enfold many universes. This book tells this story. Using astronomical data, the author explores the Big Bang, theories of everything, and our cosmic future.

Offers an introduction to galactic astrophysics to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers. This book covers topics including N-body simulation methods, black holes in stellar systems, linear stability and response theory, and galaxy formation in the cosmological context.

The Astronomer Royal shows how the behaviour and origins of the universe can be explained by just six numbers

This introduction aims to present, from a physicist's point of view, radiation processes and their applications to astrophysical phenomena and space science. It covers such topics as radiative transfer theory, relativistic covariance and kinematics.

This self-contained textbook brings together many different branches of physics--e.g. nuclear physics, solid state physics, particle physics, hydrodynamics, relativity--to analyze compact objects. The latest astronomical data is assessed. Over 250 exercises.

First published to mark the centenary of Einstein's birth in 1979, this updated edition marks the centenary of Einstein's miraculous year, 1905, when he wrote 5 original scientific papers, including the theory of relativity. Calder outlines this theory in a way every reader can understand, with a new chapter on recent experiments.

Volume two of this two-volume text covers single-fluid shocks and fronts; magnetohydrodynamics and plasma physics, their applications to self-graviting spherical masses, accretion disks, spiral density waves, star formation and dynamo theory.

This advanced undergraduate text provides broad coverage of astronomy and astrophyscis with a strong emphasis on physics. It has an algebra and trigonometry prerequisite, but calculus is preferred.

Covers all expects of high energy astrophysics, such as stellar explosions, active galactic nuclei, and black holes.

The bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem and The Code Book tells the story of the brilliant minds that deciphered the mysteries of the Big Bang. A fascinating exploration of the ultimate question: how was our universe created?