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The great unknown seven journeys to the frontiers of science

"A captivating journey to the outer frontiers of human knowledge by the popular presenter of Netflix's The Story of Math Ever since the dawn of civilization we have been driven by a desire to know-- to understand the physical world and the laws of nature. But are there limits to human know...

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Main Author: Du Sautoy, Marcus (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York, New York : Viking, [2016]
Subjects:
Stein, Sylvia tribute.
Discoveries in science.
Knowledge, Theory of.
Summary: "A captivating journey to the outer frontiers of human knowledge by the popular presenter of Netflix's The Story of Math Ever since the dawn of civilization we have been driven by a desire to know-- to understand the physical world and the laws of nature. But are there limits to human knowledge? This tantalizing question has inspired scientists and functioned as a spur to innovation. Now, Marcus du Sautoy invites us to join him on a journey to the outer reaches of human understanding as there are still lots of deep mysteries waiting to be solved. Are some things beyond the predictive powers of science? Or are those challenges simply the next big discovery waiting to happen? Du Sautoy takes us into the minds of science's greatest innovators and reveals the fraught circumstances of their discoveries. He reminds us that major breakthroughs were often ridiculed at the time of their discovery. And he carries us on a whirlwind tour of seven 'Edges' of knowledge-- chaos theory, matter, quantum physics, the universe, time, consciousness and infinity--grounding a deeply personal exploration in simple concepts like the roll of dice, the notes of a cello, or how a clock measures time"--
Item Description: "First published in Great Britain as 'What we cannot know' by 4th Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers"--Title-page verso.
Physical Description: 450 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 431-435) and index.
ISBN: 9780735221802
0735221804
Author Notes: Marcus du Sautoy is the Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, a position previously held by Richard Dawkins, and the bestselling author of The Music of the Primes . He has received the Berwick prize, given to Britain's most outstanding young mathematician, and the Royal Society's Faraday Prize for excellence in communicating science. Amember of a theatre group who is speaks frequently about the ties between art and science, he contributed thoughts on time to Simon McBurney's Encounter and created the codes for Lauren Child's Ruby Redfort detective series. He has written and presented more than a dozen popular television series, including The Story of Maths , The Code , and Music of the Primes . He was made an Officer of the British Empire by the Queen for his services to Science.

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