Measuring the Universe: The Historical Quest to Quantify Space
by Kitty Ferguson
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More than 2,000 years ago, Eratosthenes, in Alexandria, used a stick, a hole in the ground, sunllght at summer solstice, and elementary geometry to measure the circumference of the Earth with surprising accuracy, long before anyone was able to circumnavigate it. Today, scientists are attempting to measure the entire universe and to determine its origin. Although the methods have changed, the quest to chart the horizons of space and time continues to be one of the great adventures of show more science.Measuring the Universe is an eloquent chronicle of the men and women- from Aristarchus to Cassini, Sir Isaac Newton to Henrietta Leavitt and Stephen Hawking-who have gradually unlocked the mysteries of how far and in so doing have changed our ideas about the size and nature of the universe and our place in it. Kitty Ferguson reveals their methods to have been as inventive as their results were-and are-eye-opening. Advances such as Copernicus's revolutionary insights about the arrangement of the solar system, William Herschel's meticulous creation of the first three-dimensional map of the universe, and Edwin Hubble's astonishing discovery that the universe is expanding have by turns revolutionized our concept of the universe. Connecting centuries of breakthroughs with the political and cultural events surrounding them, Ferguson makes astronomy part of the sweep of history.To measure the seemingly immeasurable, scientists have always pushed the boundaries of the imagination-today, for example, facing the paradox of an ever-expanding universe that doesn't appear to expand into anything. In Kitty Fergeson's skillfill hands, the unimaginable becomes accessible and the splendid quest something we all can share. show lessTags
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11 Works 1,675 Members
Kitty Ferguson has been writing and lecturing about science and scientists for over two decades, making the language and concepts of physics and cosmology understandable for audiences without a scientific background. Her first biography of Stephen Hawking was an international bestseller. She was a consultant for Hawking's book The Universe in a show more Nutshell. Kitty is the author of nine books, including The Fire in the Equations, The Music of Pythagoras, and Lost Science. She has also been interviewed by Forbes Magazine, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Fresh Air, and the BBC. Her appearances have included the Goddard Space Flight Center, the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, and The Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Kitty ant her husband divide their time between Cambridge, England, and South Carolina. show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1999
- Dedication
- To my brother, David, who, as a child, made himself ill worrying about the size of the universe.
- First words
- There is no task so simple, yet so profound in its consequences, as the act of taking a measurement.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)For it is still a great mystery how large our island is--this treasured, hard-won, incalculably valuable, perhaps tiny island of human knowledge--compared with the sea.
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- 253
- Popularity
- 127,647
- Rating
- (3.84)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 2
