« There's a book I've been carrying around like a small Bible, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics». (Benedict Cumberbatch)
« Brilliant... Few writers, let alone physicists, capture the beauty of nature and the excitement of its discovery in such clear, rich prose... It's hard to imagine a more coherent, inspiring introduction to modern physics ». (New Scientist)
« Wonderfully clear and vivid. Carlo Rovelli manages to convey the mystery of very large things and very small things with brilliant effect ». (Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials)
« A startling and illustrative distillation of centuries of science... The book's triumph lies not only in presenting some of the headiest stuff science has produced in so few pages, but also in giving real insight into how science treats those ideas ». (Economist)
Carlo Rovelli’s latest book investigates the mystery of time
Just like worldwide best-seller Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Carlo Rovelli’s latest book investigates a branch of physics that everyone can relate to because it’s a mystery for physicists, too, and not just for the average lay person. Over the centuries the concept of time has changed dramatically, from Newton’s findings to Einstein’s and all the way to quantum physics and quantum loop gravity, the latter being Rovelli’s speciality.
Newton’s equations always factored in time; today’s fundamental equations leave it out. Past and future are no longer in opposition as was long believed. And what is no longer true for physics is what everyone else thinks is true – the present. These are just some of the extraordinary breakthroughs described in the book, which offers an overview of what physics used to be and what it is becoming today.