''Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos'' is a

popular science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

book by

Michio Kaku Michio Kaku (; ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, Science communication, science communicator, futurologist, and writer of popular-science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York and ...

first published in 2004.

The book has twelve chapters arranged in three parts. Part I (Chapters 1–4) covers the Big Bang, the early development of the Universe, and how these topics relate to the Eternal Inflation Multiverse (Level II in the Tegmark hierarchy of Multiverses). Part II (Chapters 5–9) covers M-Theory and the "

Many-Worlds interpretation The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is Philosophical realism, objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all Possible ...

" of Quantum Mechanics (Level III Multiverse). It also discusses how future technology will enable the creation of wormholes. Part III discusses the Big Freeze and how a Hyperspace wormhole (one in 11-dimensional Hyperspace rather than 3-dimensional normal space) will enable civilization and life to escape to a younger Universe.

Theme

In ''Parallel Worlds'', Kaku presents many of the leading theories in physics; from

Newtonian physics Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of objects such as projectiles, parts of machinery, spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. The development of classical mechanics involved substantial change in the methods ...

to Relativity to

Quantum Physics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

String theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

and even into the newest version of string theory, called

M-theory In physics, M-theory is a theory that unifies all Consistency, consistent versions of superstring theory. Edward Witten first conjectured the existence of such a theory at a string theory conference at the University of Southern California in 1 ...

. He makes available to the reader a comprehensive description of many of the more compelling theories in physics, including many interesting predictions each theory makes, what

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

s, and

cosmologist Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wor ...

s are looking for now and what technology they are using in their research.

Reception

Scarlett Thomas writing for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' calls ''Parallel Worlds'' "absolutely impossible to put down." Mark Mortimer for ''

Universe Today Universe Today (U.T.) is a North American-based non-commercial space and astronomy news website founded by Fraser Cain. The domain was registered on December 30, 1998, and the website went live in March 1999. ''Universe Today'' assumed its curre ...

'' felt the book maintains a nice balance between detail and corollary while sometimes drifting to the philosophical side of things. Gerry Gilmore of the Institute of Astronomy, wrote that the book "is not a classic, but does raise many interesting ideas." Gilmore praised the book for its "exotic physics" and felt there were "lots of intellectual challenge" but believed there "was a little too much of a

pot-pourri Potpourri ( ) is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings. It is often placed in a decorative bowl. Etymology The word "potpourri" comes into English from ...

." Gilmore wrote that the biggest weakness of the book is how it covers

astrophysical Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

history. The book was a finalist for the

Samuel Johnson Prize The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize, is an annual British book prize for the best non-fiction writing in the English language. It was founded in 1999 following the demise of the NCR Book Award. With its m ...

for non-fiction in

the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

References

2005 non-fiction books Popular physics books Books by Michio Kaku Cosmology books Doubleday (publisher) books {{astronomy-book-stub

Contents

Theme

Reception

See also

References