The Physics of Star Trek - Softcover

Lawrence M. Krauss

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060977108 ISBN 13: 9780060977108

Publisher: HarperPB, 1996

Synopsis

What warps when you're traveling at warp speed?

What's the difference between a holodeck and a hologram?

What happens when you get beamed up?

What's the difference between a wormhole and a black hole?

What is antimatter, and why does the Enterprise need it?

Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I am born?

Discover the answers to these and many other fascinating questions from a renowned physicist and dedicated Trekker.

Featuring a section on the top ten physics bloopers and blunders in Star Trek as selected by Nobel-Prize winning physicists and other devout Trekkers!

"Today's science fiction is often tomorrow's science fact. The physics that underlines Star Trek is surely worth investigating. To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit."
--From the foreword by Stephen Hawking

NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

This book was not prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the Star Trek television series or films.

About this title

Review:

Sure, we all know Star Trek is fiction, but warp drives and transporters and holodecks don't seem altogether implausible. Are any of these futuristic inventions fundamentally outlawed by physics as we understand it today? The Physics of Star Trek takes a lighthearted look at this subject, speculating on how the wonders of Star Trek technology might actually work--and, in some cases, revealing why the inventions are impossible or impractical even for an advanced civilization. (Example: "dematerializing" a person for transport would require about as much energy as is released by a 100-megaton hydrogen bomb). The Physics of Star Trek deserves merit for providing a refresher course on topics such as relativity and antimatter, but let's face it: the reason most people will want to read this book is simply that it's fun to poke holes in the premises of their favorite science fiction shows!

About the Author:

Lawrence M. Krauss is Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and Professor of Astronomy and Chairman of the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve University. He is also the author of two acclaimed books, Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed and The Fifth Essence: The Search far Dark Matter in the Universe, and over 120 scientific articles. He is the recipient of several international awards for his work, including the Presidential Investigator Award, given by President Reagan in 1986. He lectures extensively to both lay and professional audiences and frequently appears on radio and television.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperPB
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0060977108
• ISBN 13: 9780060977108
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208