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  • The Universe Speaks in Numbers

  • How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets
  • Written by: Graham Farmelo
  • Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
  • Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

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The Universe Speaks in Numbers

Written by: Graham Farmelo
Narrated by: Hugh Kermode
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Publisher's Summary

"These are brilliant successes of the mathematical approach, and Farmelo leads us through them adeptly, with a mixture of contemporary accounts and scientific insight." (Nature)

How math helps us solve the universe's deepest mysteries

One of the great insights of science is that the universe has an underlying order. The supreme goal of physicists is to understand this order through laws that describe the behavior of the most basic particles and the forces between them. For centuries, we have searched for these laws by studying the results of experiments.

Since the 1970s, however, experiments at the world's most powerful atom-smashers have offered few new clues. So some of the world's leading physicists have looked to a different source of insight: modern mathematics. These physicists are sometimes accused of doing "fairy-tale physics", unrelated to the real world. But in The Universe Speaks in Numbers, award-winning science writer and biographer Farmelo argues that the physics they are doing is based squarely on the well-established principles of quantum theory and relativity, and part of a tradition dating back to Isaac Newton.

With unprecedented access to some of the world's greatest scientific minds, Farmelo offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of the blossoming relationship between mathematics and physics and the research that could revolutionize our understanding of reality.

A masterful account of the some of the most groundbreaking ideas in physics in the past four decades, The Universe Speaks in Numbers is essential listening for anyone interested in the quest to discover the fundamental laws of nature.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Graham Farmelo (P)2019 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"Mathematics here becomes a brilliant laser beam illuminating the very frontiers of science!" (Booklist, starred)

"A thought-provoking look at a fierce, ongoing controversy over the future of theoretical physics." (Kirkus)

"A riveting account of one of the greatest stories of our time. Graham Farmelo has delved deep into this fascinating subject, combining original scholarship and lively interviews with leading contemporary theorists at the forefront of the field. The result is a masterful book, which gives us, for the first time, a behind-the-scenes look at how physicists and mathematicians, driven by their pursuit of ultimate Truth, have been drawn into common territory by mysterious intellectual forces seemingly beyond their control." (Nima Arkani-Hamed, professor, Institute of Advanced Study, Princeton)

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