Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of… (2008)

Interesting concept, covering some of the same ground as "The Physics of Star Trek" but going a lot deeper into contemporary physics. ( )

Physicist Michio Kaku looks at various ideas and technologies that are staples of science fiction, but are not -- or are not yet -- possible in the real world, from force fields to sentient robots to time travel. He divides these "impossible" things into three categories. Most of the concepts he talks about are "Class I Impossibilities": they're not quite possible with current technology, but there's no reason why they might not be achievable in the future, and we already have at least some vague idea of how that might happen. Laser pistols are a good example of this; the main reason cops aren't carrying ray guns is that they require way too much power. "Class II Impossibilities" are things that aren't necessarily ruled out by the laws of physics, but involve technology and an understanding of the universe so far in advance of our own that it's hard to even imagine. This category includes faster-than-light travel via wormholes. "Class III impossibilities" are things that really do seem to be completely and eternally impossible according to our current understanding of the most basic laws of the universe. Perpetual motion machines are the big example here.

For each "impossibility," of whichever class, Kaku describes a few examples from science fiction TV shows, books, or movies; explains some of the science involved; tells us why it's not possible right now; and discusses what would be necessary to make it possible in the future. This is definitely written for the layman, and he walks a pretty fine line between treating the physics too superficially and getting too technical about the experiments and calculations that provide the basis of our scientific knowledge. For the most part, I think he walks that line fairly well. Some readers will probably start feeling a little confused when the book gets into the more abstruse areas of quantum mechanics, but I think that's just about inevitable. Even when you understand the mathematics behind that stuff, it's still hard to make sense of.

I don't think Michio Kaku is quite as lively and engaging a writer as, say, Laurence Krauss (who wrote The Physics of Star Trek, among other things), but his writing is readable enough, and this book will probably be of at least some interest to science fiction fans, especially ones who've often found themselves wondering, "Could you really do that?" ( )

Physics of the impossible explores common themes in science fiction, and explains in simplified physics whether such things are possible soon, or far in the future. Kaku has an engaging writing style, and his physics is basic enough that most popular readers would be able to follow. However, I don’t think people who follow physics regularly would enjoy the simplified science. I enjoyed this book, though I have one major complaint: Kaku would give examples of science fiction phenomena from popular novels. Apparently assuming that everyone has read all of these books, he almost always tells the ending of the book. I hadn’t read several of these books and was quite annoyed since telling the end of the book did not add any merit to his own arguments. The book lost star-points because of this problem. ( )

People who do not really follow what is going on in the world of physics will likely find this book more interesting than I did. It had a few moments I found worth reading, especially in that latter half, but I generally found its breadth of coverage versus depth of information to not be very enlightening.The writing was okay but not particularly inspiring, and the episodic nature made the narrative a bit jerky for my tastes. It's a bit more informative than his related TV series, but not much. ( )

Michio Kaku explores common ideas from sci-fi, assessing their viability in the real world in a popular writing style. The first half of the book drags on a bit, and doesn't present anything new to someone who has any idea of the concepts beforehand. The writing also lacks some rigor and critical thinking - it reads more like a summary of the subjects rather than a deep analysis by an expert. The AI / robots part, which I know the most about, seemed the worst - a sign that other chapters might not be top quality either. The second half does pick up the pace, however, as Kaku explains string theory, dives into cosmological speculation and advanced subjects such as bending space and time. The writing remains clear and enjoyable throughout, even if the thinking is a bit shallow. ( )