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| | Location: Home » Travel » Physics » Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel | November 21, 2008 |
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| Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel | 
 enlarge | Author: Michio Kaku
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $15.98
You Save: $10.97 (41%)
Buy New/Used from $15.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  (55 reviews)
Sales Rank: 524
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0385520697
Dewey Decimal Number: 530
EAN: 9780385520690
ASIN: 0385520697
Publication Date: March 11, 2008
Release Date: March 11, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The Impossible Explained May 21, 2008
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
A very good book for the physics enthusiast - especially the unique approach the author brings to the table. The author takes a good look at various phenomenon in science fiction such as 'Force fields', 'Invisibility', 'Teleportation', 'Time Travel', 'Perpetual motion machines' and so on and classifies them into Classes of 1 to 3. Class 1 impossibilities are those that are impossible today but do not violate the known laws of physics and may be realized within this century, Class 2 are those that may be realized in millions (!) of years; and Class 3 (surprisingly very few) that violate the known laws of physics and may never be realized in this universe.
An easy to read book with many references to popular science fiction books as well as TV shows and movies, it enables the reader to put in perspective many of the science fiction concepts that we often hear about. Numerous scientists and authors have also been interviewed by the author and their feedback brought into the book. However I would have liked to see more of the author's views on Ray Kurzweil predictions on spiritual machines and humanity overcoming death.
The author's science projects at school will invoke an inferiority complex in most of us :) but does give an idea of what precocious children can achieve in the school system of the United States. In spite of the good research that went into the book, I noticed a minor error which will titillate Indian readers. In page 44 of the book, the Hindu God Shiva is mentioned as a goddess.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in Physics and Science fiction.
 Great Insights May 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very good book for inquiring minds. Dr. Kaku is a genius and does a great job of making this book easy enough to understand but not too simplistic. Nice balance for those who have a curiosity about such things but not a background in physics.
Written for a man of seventy-three -- or a youngster of sixteen! May 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Seldom do pop-sci books grab my attention such that I wouldn't find it easy to even the danged book down to eat or visit the bathroom. And yes, Michio Kaku managed to keep the jargon and complexity to a minimum so that even an aging would-be-mathematician like myself could follow his stream of thought easily ... and enjoy every minute of it.
His classification of "impossibilities" alone was well worth the cost of the book--bought as "New." He allowed a tiny bit of his own bias in support of there being no life after death to seep into the early narrative (not intrusive, however), but his catalog of physical and cosmological "impossibilities" went far beyond what I ever believed could be put into under 400 pages--which he did superbly. This book is a "keeper" and I would recommmend buying it in hardcover.
 Is it "Impossible" just because you don't know how it works May 17, 2008
3 out of 44 found this review helpful
I was sorely disappointed in the lack of research into the evidence of telepathy and UFOs for your book, Physics of the Impossible. In it he dedicates only one paragraph to the 23 years of U.S. government research and use of psychic phenomena. Tens of books by qualified scientists and researchers were dismissed by you by simply referencing the "AIR" report and "critics." This is hardly an evaluation of the evidence. I recommend Mind At Large: IEEE Symposia on the Nature of Extrasensory Perception edited by Hal Puthoff, Russel Targ et al. available through Amazon if there is any doubt.
In dismissing the UFO phenomena, he cites the French COMETA report wherein they say that for 58% of the sightings they "were unable to follow up on." What he doesn't want to say directly is that they could not be identified, hence unidentified, the "U" in UFO. More than half were then in fact unidentified flying objects.
He wants "hard physical evidence," but wants to ignore the abundant film, photograph and reliable witness evidence. Do you think the military is going to give you access to the material evidence from Aurora, Roswell, Corona, Kecksburg or numerous other crashes. Maybe Werner Van Braun or Edward Teller got to see these materials, but Michio or I would not.
I recommend you the book Disclosure: Military and Government Witnesses Reveal the Greatest Secrets of Modern History, by Steven M. Greer, M.D. also available through Amazon.
In his book he sounds like one of those "scientists" that would have shunned Nikolai Tesla or Albert Einstein since their theories were certainly not "compatible with current thinking in physics." This is where he puts himself in a box. He writes whole books about the speculative string theory, but does not recognize evidence right under your his nose that there are observable forces of nature and technologies that to even the modern man, seem like magic.
I look forward to your new book wherein he analyzes the evidence and its potential extradimensionality, and attempts to explain how it physically works.
Interesting read May 14, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Non technical treatment of physics concepts as they relate to science fiction themes. Michio Kaku is an engaging writer who can discuss the science authoritatively with our boring you.
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