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Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
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Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
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Summary
Time rules our lives, woven into the very fabric of the universe - from the rising and setting of the sun to the cycles of nature, the thought processes in our brains, and the biorhythms in our day. Nothing so pervades our existence and yet is so difficult to explain.
But now, in a series of 24 riveting lectures, you can grasp exactly why - as you take a mind-expanding journey through the past, present, and future, guided by a noted author and scientist. Designed for nonscientists as well as those with a background in physics, the lectures show how a feature of the world that we all experience - a process known as entropy - connects us to the instant of the formation of the universe, and possibly to a multiverse that is unimaginably larger and more varied than the known cosmos.
Drawing on such exciting ideas as black holes, cosmic inflation, and dark energy, the lectures also address a momentous question that until recently was considered unanswerable: What happened before the big bang? And while the focus is on physics, Professor Carroll also examines philosophical views on time, how we perceive and misperceive time, the workings of memory, and serious proposals for time travel, as well as imaginative ways that time has been disrupted in fiction.
"What is time?" asked Saint Augustine 1,600 years ago. "If no one asks me, I know. But if I wish to explain it to someone who asks, I know not." These lectures will move you much closer to an answer.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- jeffrey
- 12-01-15
Good listen
If you could sum up Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time in three words, what would they be?
I've listened to a few of these course type formats and find it easy to follow. The fact that each lesson is only 30 minutes makes easier to stop and start.
The material was interesting and the tack that the instructor takes to explain it was thought provoking
What other book might you compare Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time to, and why?
Other lecture type books
What about Professor Sean Carroll’s performance did you like?
His energy and pace
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
what a stupid question
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pet owner
- 23-11-17
spoiler
no one really gets it.
good lecturer and fascinating subject, wanted more answers!! 30 minute lectures were sometimes too long for pre-sleep listening, but on the flip side a good cure for insomnia. occasional slip ups at critical explanation points caused some confusion but recovered well and kept impressing with competent teaching techniques. well worth the purchase and time
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Eliel Cohen
- 23-04-16
Best science lecture
Carroll is the best science lecturer I have come across. He is so passionate and makes the topics enthralling and is very good at making the inherently difficult concepts graspable if you are willing to put the effort in.
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- Polaris
- 13-06-17
Excellent course on the arrow of time
There are quite a few good lecture series available on Audible but for me, this course is absolutely exceptional. Prof Carroll develops a coherent and riveting narrative around the mystery of the arrow of time, branching out into many areas of physics but always returning to thermodynamics and entropy. At the same time, there is a lot in here about how science is done and how it arrives at answers,
He leads the listener along this path with extraordinary clarity whilst addressing profound and subtle problems. I have a physics degree but found this course challenging and mind-expanding. I think it would be accessible to any intelligent and interested listener.
Prof Carroll has an engaging and straightforward style. His openmindedness to philosophy is also welcome - in this field, surely an important partner to physics.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Boom
- 30-09-15
Excellent
Count how many times he says Entropy
Apparently that review isn't enough and I need to type at least 15 words.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- aa
- 25-05-15
Excellent
Thought I already knew a thing or two about entropy, relativity and physics of time. Bought this course on basis of other good reviews and wanting to know more. I really enjoyed the course. I learnt lots and I had a few of those moments when the whole universe suddenly appears really strange and wonderful at the same time. Mind expanding and well presented
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-09-17
Absolutely amazing.
A really good set of lectures that clearly describe very complex ideas in a way that is accessible and interesting for all. I've read numerous books on the subject and the only thing I've achieved is a headache, but these lectures actually explain it in a way that is understandable. I only had a quizzical Google open once during the whole thing and that was for one of the very infrequent maths bits so I don't think that really counts. My new Audible objective is to ditch the shooty-shooty zombie books and listen to Sean Caroll until I've either listened to everything he's done or my hair goes fuzzy and I start smoking a pipe. Really can't recommend this enough. However, the one thing to keep in mind during and after the lectures is to not to try starting a discussion on anything included in these lectures with your mates in the pub, you'll fail and get upset. other than that it's quite astoundingly good.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Jim Vaughan
- 30-10-13
Everything you ever wanted to know about time...
I have previously taken a number of "Great Courses" series, from "The Teaching Company" - they are almost always excellent, and to be able to get them through Audible, represents very good value.
This course on Time is no exception. Professor Caroll has the perfect voice for explaining complex concepts in physics - slightly geeky sounding, but very easy to listen to, and immediately likeable. While he explains all the concepts he uses, so there is no need to have any background in Physics, I found some grounding helpful, as he gets into some quite complex stuff, fairly quickly.
The lectures cover all aspects of Time, from "why am I always late" to measurement and the "longditude problem", the "block" or "salami" models of time, Relativity, space-time and time dilation, black holes, the early universe, and a lot on thermodynamics! The main question, which the series attempts to answer is "why is there an arrow of time?" going always from the past to the future.
The various explanations for the arrow of time, (such as the probablistic explanation for the second law of thermodynamics) are prised apart, to show their circularity, such that it seems to come down to explaining the nature of the early universe, and the "past hypothesis". Without giving more away, this becomes the central intellectual puzzle, which drives us on towards the end.
If, like me, you like these kind of "ultimate questions", and you enjoy concepts in Physics, (without delving into Maths), I can thoroughly recommend this course.
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21 people found this helpful
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- slipperychimp
- 07-02-19
Superb in structure, delivery and content
If you are an 'armchair physicist' or someone completely new to the topic, wondering "what is time?" - I would recommend this series just the same. Each hour(ish) long chapter progresses the listener and deepens ones understanding, excellent explanations and the right level of detail for someone like me who has no formal physics education.
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- Jack worsfold
- 18-12-20
Quite simply superb
If you want a course that can take you from one end of time to the beginning of a universe read this. Carolls presentation is subtle, unfussed but engaging and informative. A triumph and well worth every penny. Some concepts may stretch you in this title, but bear with it. I love this course and plan to listen to it again soon...
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