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Faster than Light: How Your Shadow Can Do It but You Can't
From a creator, writer, and editor of NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day ...
******************
Albert Einstein knew already in the early 1900s, when he first published his famous paper about the constancy of the speed of light, that not only did this constancy imply that mass contains energy (E = m c squared), but that faster-than-light motion could lead to paradoxes -- some that seemed to involve backwards time travel.
What are these paradoxes? Why is light and its speed relevant? This book will lead you through an obstacle course of conundrums and oddities, building up your understanding of how light's speed creates simple but mind-expanding paradoxes -- one conceptual riddle at a time.
This is not your average popular science book. This is also not a textbook. This book takes one theme -- the universally constant speed of light -- and shows how it may appear compromised on scales from the quantum mechanics of the very small to the cosmology of the very large, and the resulting surprising implications can result.
******************
Albert Einstein knew already in the early 1900s, when he first published his famous paper about the constancy of the speed of light, that not only did this constancy imply that mass contains energy (E = m c squared), but that faster-than-light motion could lead to paradoxes -- some that seemed to involve backwards time travel.
What are these paradoxes? Why is light and its speed relevant? This book will lead you through an obstacle course of conundrums and oddities, building up your understanding of how light's speed creates simple but mind-expanding paradoxes -- one conceptual riddle at a time.
This is not your average popular science book. This is also not a textbook. This book takes one theme -- the universally constant speed of light -- and shows how it may appear compromised on scales from the quantum mechanics of the very small to the cosmology of the very large, and the resulting surprising implications can result.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2023
325 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 22, 2025
This is a delightful popular science book that tackles the nature and peculiar properties of light through the lenses of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity, his General Theory of Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. The narrative is quite unique, in that for each chapter/topic, the reader is given a stem presenting the problem/question, and then multiple-choice answers related to that stem. He does this throughout the entire book, which makes it an interesting game of solving riddles or puzzles. After the reader makes a choice, the correct answer is given, and a lucid explanation is provided as to why that answer is correct. This Socratic method is very good at making the extremely complicated implications of these theories a fun and educational journey. This book should be interesting to anyone interested in physics and cosmology, as General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are the twin pillars upon which modern physics (and our understanding of reality) exist.
One excerpt I will share that tickled my funny bone is the following:
---“I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics” – Richard Feynman.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” - Rita Mae Brown.
“[Quantum mechanics] refers to ensembles of systems and not to individual systems.” – Albert Einstein.
Since quantum mechanics depends on performing the same experiments over and over (creating Einstein’s “ensemble”) and expecting different results, then by Brown’s definition and Feynman’s observation, understanding quantum mechanics requires that you be insane.---
This gives a taste of Robert Nemiroff’s sense of humor. However, there is a lot to be learned by reading this book, even by people who are quite familiar with Special Relativity, General Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. I highly recommend picking up this book and losing yourself in the astonishing properties of light and the profound implications of modern physics.
One excerpt I will share that tickled my funny bone is the following:
---“I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics” – Richard Feynman.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” - Rita Mae Brown.
“[Quantum mechanics] refers to ensembles of systems and not to individual systems.” – Albert Einstein.
Since quantum mechanics depends on performing the same experiments over and over (creating Einstein’s “ensemble”) and expecting different results, then by Brown’s definition and Feynman’s observation, understanding quantum mechanics requires that you be insane.---
This gives a taste of Robert Nemiroff’s sense of humor. However, there is a lot to be learned by reading this book, even by people who are quite familiar with Special Relativity, General Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. I highly recommend picking up this book and losing yourself in the astonishing properties of light and the profound implications of modern physics.
September 9, 2023
With apologies to Robin Williams ... Reality. What a concept! I started my college back a long time ago as a physics major but I was too impatient to do the basics, wanting to get right into the juicy QED/QCD/relativistic/strange strangeness. Eventually, I landed in mechanical engineering, but I still love this stuff. So I was quite happy and grateful to get approved by the author and BookSirens for a review copy.
If you don't have a mind for physics, this book might challenge you. If you do have a mind for physics... this book might challenge you. The author says:
“As a professional physicist I have given presentations to other professional physicists and been asked, effectively, to stop my presentation because I said that laser spots on walls can move faster than light. I had no alternative but to backtrack, argue, and try to give clear counterexamples to the much-repeated adage that “nothing can go faster than light.” These curmudgeons were wrong. I was able to provide proof, but they could not. Many other professional physicists have been happy to hear the talk and even complimented it.
As a researcher, I have submitted papers to recognized physics journals and had them rejected because the journal editors—themselves professional physicists—agreed that the paper must be flawed because “nothing can go faster than light.” They were wrong. Other journals accepted the work. To those who study the topic, these results are not controversial.”
And a physicist with a sense of humor? I'm in. Hell, even the publisher has one! On the copyright page:
“If you are reading a print version of this book, please be advised that an electronic version exists that links many technical terms to relevant background information on the internet. If you are reading an electronic version of this book, please be advised that a print version of this book exists that may look better on a bookshelf.”
The author makes his case and gives his reasoning, and the science, behind it. He asks 283 multiple-choice questions to allow the reader to reason, or guess, where he's going. (One answer is invariably nonsense, and smart standardized test takers know that if you can eliminate one or two choices, but don't know the answer, guess away. Except one nonsense answer was actually the correct one!)
He keeps the math to a minimum. In one Aside, he says,
“Many scientists like math, in particular mathematics that tracks some aspects of reality. Many scientists also like data, in particular modern data taken by cutting-edge experiments or spacecraft designed to explore an unknown facet of our universe. For me, mathematical structures are usually cool, and experimental data are frequently enlightening, but concepts are my favorite. In this view, math is invented to help explain the data, and concepts are invented to help understand the math. In this book, I skip over most of the data. I try to hand-wave away most of the math and get right to the really cool concepts.”
And he warns the reader when he gets down to nitty gritties:
“Caveat—Please read only if you like minutia and gory details:”
And he offers his take on reading non-fiction:
“Now I will admit that c2c [cover-to-cover]reading can also be a fulfilling way to read nonfiction books. One reason is because, typically, concepts developed in earlier chapters will help in the understanding of later chapters. Even so, it is difficult for me to read many nonfiction books front to back. I just can’t wait to find out the good stuff! In my view, nonfiction books are more about satisfying curiosity than whole-book storytelling. Therefore, I typically end up flipping through a nonfiction book, finding the stuff that I am most curious about, and reading that first. In my mind, the book becomes a meadow of flowers, and I become a butterfly. Sometimes the book’s good stuff makes me curious about other stuff in the book, stuff that I didn’t know to be curious about before. In those cases, I do end up reading the whole book, but only one disconnected section at a time.
Although I suspect that there are relatively few “butterfly readers” like me who flutter around nonfiction books, I have tried to write this book for both cover-to-cover and butterfly readers.
That said, there is not only one arc that runs through this book, but two. The first follows attempts to communicate faster than light, and the second is how faster-than-light motion relates to backward time travel. Regarding these arcs: yes, reading the early chapters does help in the understanding of later chapters. Nevertheless, most chapters are able to stand on their own, so butterfly readers should have many satisfying places to land.”
Interesting. I tend to be a c2c reader.
I enjoyed reading this and I will probably need to revisit it again (and again?) to absorb the concepts. I had a great advisor/professor back when I was that physics major (Dr. V. V. Raman; his grandfather won a Nobel) but the immature me lost out. I would have loved to have sat in Dr Nemiroff's class.
- - - - - - - -
Not a lot of notes from this. I was too engaged in trying to follow the logic...
“To reiterate: it is only the spacing between the photons that is expanding faster than c. The photons themselves always move with speed c.”
“Now, just because the wavelength of a particle with mass can expand (or contract) faster than light does not mean that momentum or any information moves faster than light.”
“Aside 24: Understanding Quantum Mechanics
“I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” —Richard Feynman (Character of Physical Law)
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” —Rita Mae Brown
“[Quantum mechanics] refers to ensembles of systems and not to individual systems.” —Albert Einstein
Since quantum mechanics depends on performing the same experiments over and over (creating Einstein’s “ensemble”) and expecting different results, then by Brown’s definition and Feynman’s observation, understanding quantum mechanics requires that you be insane.”
For the publisher, in Aside 26, this looks like a typo:
“Math note (please ignore is annoying)” ... “if” annoying?
If you don't have a mind for physics, this book might challenge you. If you do have a mind for physics... this book might challenge you. The author says:
“As a professional physicist I have given presentations to other professional physicists and been asked, effectively, to stop my presentation because I said that laser spots on walls can move faster than light. I had no alternative but to backtrack, argue, and try to give clear counterexamples to the much-repeated adage that “nothing can go faster than light.” These curmudgeons were wrong. I was able to provide proof, but they could not. Many other professional physicists have been happy to hear the talk and even complimented it.
As a researcher, I have submitted papers to recognized physics journals and had them rejected because the journal editors—themselves professional physicists—agreed that the paper must be flawed because “nothing can go faster than light.” They were wrong. Other journals accepted the work. To those who study the topic, these results are not controversial.”
And a physicist with a sense of humor? I'm in. Hell, even the publisher has one! On the copyright page:
“If you are reading a print version of this book, please be advised that an electronic version exists that links many technical terms to relevant background information on the internet. If you are reading an electronic version of this book, please be advised that a print version of this book exists that may look better on a bookshelf.”
The author makes his case and gives his reasoning, and the science, behind it. He asks 283 multiple-choice questions to allow the reader to reason, or guess, where he's going. (One answer is invariably nonsense, and smart standardized test takers know that if you can eliminate one or two choices, but don't know the answer, guess away. Except one nonsense answer was actually the correct one!)
He keeps the math to a minimum. In one Aside, he says,
“Many scientists like math, in particular mathematics that tracks some aspects of reality. Many scientists also like data, in particular modern data taken by cutting-edge experiments or spacecraft designed to explore an unknown facet of our universe. For me, mathematical structures are usually cool, and experimental data are frequently enlightening, but concepts are my favorite. In this view, math is invented to help explain the data, and concepts are invented to help understand the math. In this book, I skip over most of the data. I try to hand-wave away most of the math and get right to the really cool concepts.”
And he warns the reader when he gets down to nitty gritties:
“Caveat—Please read only if you like minutia and gory details:”
And he offers his take on reading non-fiction:
“Now I will admit that c2c [cover-to-cover]reading can also be a fulfilling way to read nonfiction books. One reason is because, typically, concepts developed in earlier chapters will help in the understanding of later chapters. Even so, it is difficult for me to read many nonfiction books front to back. I just can’t wait to find out the good stuff! In my view, nonfiction books are more about satisfying curiosity than whole-book storytelling. Therefore, I typically end up flipping through a nonfiction book, finding the stuff that I am most curious about, and reading that first. In my mind, the book becomes a meadow of flowers, and I become a butterfly. Sometimes the book’s good stuff makes me curious about other stuff in the book, stuff that I didn’t know to be curious about before. In those cases, I do end up reading the whole book, but only one disconnected section at a time.
Although I suspect that there are relatively few “butterfly readers” like me who flutter around nonfiction books, I have tried to write this book for both cover-to-cover and butterfly readers.
That said, there is not only one arc that runs through this book, but two. The first follows attempts to communicate faster than light, and the second is how faster-than-light motion relates to backward time travel. Regarding these arcs: yes, reading the early chapters does help in the understanding of later chapters. Nevertheless, most chapters are able to stand on their own, so butterfly readers should have many satisfying places to land.”
Interesting. I tend to be a c2c reader.
I enjoyed reading this and I will probably need to revisit it again (and again?) to absorb the concepts. I had a great advisor/professor back when I was that physics major (Dr. V. V. Raman; his grandfather won a Nobel) but the immature me lost out. I would have loved to have sat in Dr Nemiroff's class.
- - - - - - - -
Not a lot of notes from this. I was too engaged in trying to follow the logic...
“To reiterate: it is only the spacing between the photons that is expanding faster than c. The photons themselves always move with speed c.”
“Now, just because the wavelength of a particle with mass can expand (or contract) faster than light does not mean that momentum or any information moves faster than light.”
“Aside 24: Understanding Quantum Mechanics
“I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” —Richard Feynman (Character of Physical Law)
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” —Rita Mae Brown
“[Quantum mechanics] refers to ensembles of systems and not to individual systems.” —Albert Einstein
Since quantum mechanics depends on performing the same experiments over and over (creating Einstein’s “ensemble”) and expecting different results, then by Brown’s definition and Feynman’s observation, understanding quantum mechanics requires that you be insane.”
For the publisher, in Aside 26, this looks like a typo:
“Math note (please ignore is annoying)” ... “if” annoying?
September 3, 2023
This book accomplishes the impossible, not only faster than light travel, but also making the most obscure scientific theories fun. The author’s classes must be popular, because he is hilarious. The book poses multiple choice questions to explain everything from General Relativity to Quantum Physics. The answers are so surprising, I must have gotten 3 right in the whole book, mostly because at first they make no sense. Once they are explained, though, everything is much clearer, even if many of the concepts were still very hard for me to completely understand. And that is where this book was not a total hit for me, I am not bright enough to grasp a big part of the concepts explained here. I’ve read a lot of books about physics and, yet, the science in these pages is not for people with limited scientific capacity such as me. I’d still recommend it because, even if you don’t understand everything, it is still worth exploring these fascinating concepts.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Robert Nemiroff!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Robert Nemiroff!
January 24, 2024
This is a fun book dealing with some very complex concepts in physics -- but with a humorous twist. Basic concepts of relativity and quantum mechanics are introduced with brief quizzes, which typically have a silly answer at the end, so that readers struggling with some pretty heavy concepts can feel like they're not completely stupid.
Some of the phenomena dealt with in this book are pretty strange, like doubled laser dots racing in opposite directions on a wall of infinite length. But this book also contains the most sensible explanation I've seen of why quantum entanglement can't be used as FTL telecoms (other than as bafflegab for the handwavium comms in a space opera).
The author inserts an element of humility in it, discussing how he struggles to understand many of these concepts, and often finds that he's ending up attaining a higher level of misunderstanding rather than truly apprehending them -- and that he hopes we the readers likewise improve our level of misunderstanding, and are left eager to further improve it towards an ever less inadequate grasp of concepts that are completely outside of the normal humane experiences we are hardwired to understand.
Some of the phenomena dealt with in this book are pretty strange, like doubled laser dots racing in opposite directions on a wall of infinite length. But this book also contains the most sensible explanation I've seen of why quantum entanglement can't be used as FTL telecoms (other than as bafflegab for the handwavium comms in a space opera).
The author inserts an element of humility in it, discussing how he struggles to understand many of these concepts, and often finds that he's ending up attaining a higher level of misunderstanding rather than truly apprehending them -- and that he hopes we the readers likewise improve our level of misunderstanding, and are left eager to further improve it towards an ever less inadequate grasp of concepts that are completely outside of the normal humane experiences we are hardwired to understand.
February 14, 2025
It was pretty cool and genuinely interesting physics that I'd never considered. The style is chock full of zany humor that honestly gets a little tiring after a while. The topics start to feel pretty redundant by the last few chapters.
February 2, 2025
I feel kind of bad giving it two stars because it clearly had a lot of effort put into it but I feel the style of the book was a bit tedious to get through. Every single point is introduced with a multiple choice quiz, followed by an explanation of why each choice is either correct or not. Some of the claims are also a bit dubious to me. For example, if nothing is actually being transmitted faster than the speed of light, is a pattern really moving at the speed of light?
The main point he is tries to make several times in the book is that meta "things" like patterns can move faster than the speed of light but that interpretation is also seen as an illusion, which is not really stated. (e.g. https://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/...). The author thinks they really do move faster than light.
Many of the examples are like saying if you set several alarm clocks to fire a laser one by one at the same time, then the pattern created on the wall is moving at the speed of light... whether you want to call that moving faster than the speed of light or not is up to you but I personally feel it's a bit incorrect to think of it that way.
The main point he is tries to make several times in the book is that meta "things" like patterns can move faster than the speed of light but that interpretation is also seen as an illusion, which is not really stated. (e.g. https://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/...). The author thinks they really do move faster than light.
Many of the examples are like saying if you set several alarm clocks to fire a laser one by one at the same time, then the pattern created on the wall is moving at the speed of light... whether you want to call that moving faster than the speed of light or not is up to you but I personally feel it's a bit incorrect to think of it that way.
October 29, 2023
Humorous View of the Speed of Light
According to the author Albert Einstein knew when he published his paper on the theory of relativity that faster-than-light motion could lead to innumerable problems. This book is a light hearted approach to the idea of the speed of light and what is possible with the universal constant and if we can get past it. It is surprisingly accessible for those without a scientific background. The simplicity and light heartedness of the writing is a welcome change to the scholastic texts that are trying to explain this concept. What is enjoyable is the attempt to suggest that light is consistent and constant and that it is not a light going in one direction. The idea, again in this humorous way, suggested in the writing, is the thinking offered by Einstein that there is a possibility of traveling back in time. The author suggests that with superluminal, which the author uses often, advancements such as lasers and communication there may be something that can be faster than light travel, but even quantum mechanics seems to beat the speed of light but it doesn’t. Interesting and insightful read.
According to the author Albert Einstein knew when he published his paper on the theory of relativity that faster-than-light motion could lead to innumerable problems. This book is a light hearted approach to the idea of the speed of light and what is possible with the universal constant and if we can get past it. It is surprisingly accessible for those without a scientific background. The simplicity and light heartedness of the writing is a welcome change to the scholastic texts that are trying to explain this concept. What is enjoyable is the attempt to suggest that light is consistent and constant and that it is not a light going in one direction. The idea, again in this humorous way, suggested in the writing, is the thinking offered by Einstein that there is a possibility of traveling back in time. The author suggests that with superluminal, which the author uses often, advancements such as lasers and communication there may be something that can be faster than light travel, but even quantum mechanics seems to beat the speed of light but it doesn’t. Interesting and insightful read.
November 7, 2023
Some simple concepts are incredibly complex, and the speed of light is one of them. Imagine you are in your car; turn on the headlights, and somebody else measures the speed of light from your headlights. It is 299,792,458 meters per second. Now, you put the car in gear and drive 100 kilometers per hour. What is the speed of light coming out of the headlamps? Obviously, 299,792,458 meters per second plus 100 kilometers per hour. Well, no. It is still precisely 299,792,458 meters per second, and that illogical outcome is super confusing.
Faster than Light by Robert J. Nemiroff explores what is happening, and I purchased this book to understand this concept better. Why? I like learning about things, and my physics classes did not fully cover this topic.
Robert did a great job explaining the physical concepts surrounding the speed of light using simple terms and why this concept is so important. He uses humor and simple examples to illustrate concepts interestingly.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anybody who wishes to learn about the speed of light and why it is so important.
Faster than Light by Robert J. Nemiroff explores what is happening, and I purchased this book to understand this concept better. Why? I like learning about things, and my physics classes did not fully cover this topic.
Robert did a great job explaining the physical concepts surrounding the speed of light using simple terms and why this concept is so important. He uses humor and simple examples to illustrate concepts interestingly.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to anybody who wishes to learn about the speed of light and why it is so important.
July 17, 2025
This is a terrific book. In painting a picture of the attributes and oddities surrounding the speed of light, it covers Einstein’s relatively, quantum physics and cosmology. What makes this book different was how easy the author made it to understand. Over the years I have read a fair amount about theses subjects. Gong into this I would say that I had a pretty good grasp of these topics for a layperson. But I now understand all these topics much more comprehensively because of this book.
The style is unusual. The book presents a multiple-choice question, then the author proceeds to explain the correct answer. Though I was initially skeptical about this way of exposition, I found it to be surprisingly effective, especially because Nemitoff is a great explainer. The book also goes further then most in speculating about and discussing the mind-bending implications involved with these topics.
The book is full of humor and jokes. Though occasionally silly, I found this work to be often very funny
This is a great read for anyone interested in these topics.
The style is unusual. The book presents a multiple-choice question, then the author proceeds to explain the correct answer. Though I was initially skeptical about this way of exposition, I found it to be surprisingly effective, especially because Nemitoff is a great explainer. The book also goes further then most in speculating about and discussing the mind-bending implications involved with these topics.
The book is full of humor and jokes. Though occasionally silly, I found this work to be often very funny
This is a great read for anyone interested in these topics.
October 30, 2024
Even my shadow enjoyed this
Back in college, I majored in software engineering and minored in physics. I took every physics course available, and graduated with a 4.0. Straight As. I saw this book and couldn't resist. I thought, I'll read this and offer some suggestions and probably some corrections to the author, and be entertained in the process.
Turns out I'm not the physicist I thought I was. 😃 I only scored about 80% on the questions (Yes, there are questions, and the answers, and an explanation. And usually a humorous answer, that I enjoyed..)
But I did offer one correction... for a typo in a note. Made me feel better
If you enjoy learning and laughing, this book is for you.
Back in college, I majored in software engineering and minored in physics. I took every physics course available, and graduated with a 4.0. Straight As. I saw this book and couldn't resist. I thought, I'll read this and offer some suggestions and probably some corrections to the author, and be entertained in the process.
Turns out I'm not the physicist I thought I was. 😃 I only scored about 80% on the questions (Yes, there are questions, and the answers, and an explanation. And usually a humorous answer, that I enjoyed..)
But I did offer one correction... for a typo in a note. Made me feel better
If you enjoy learning and laughing, this book is for you.
August 29, 2023
Yes, the book was very funny and I think that Nemiroff has a great sense of humor. I also liked the Q and A format and the warnings when the book would deepdive into certain topics. But I found I did not glean a lot of understanding of the phenomena discussed. At two-thirds of the way through the book, I stopped reading to try to understand and learn and just continued reading for Nemiroff’s humor. Thank you to Netgalley and Robert Nemiroff for the digital review copy.
Read
November 19, 2024Mind Blowing
The author is clearly passionate and deeply knowledgable about the speed of light and he provides many insights. What is impressive is that Nemiroff discusses the topic in-depth and I really think this book could be considered a reference book and certainly it would make a good resource for schools teaching—it’s far more interesting and enlightening than my textbooks were!
The author is clearly passionate and deeply knowledgable about the speed of light and he provides many insights. What is impressive is that Nemiroff discusses the topic in-depth and I really think this book could be considered a reference book and certainly it would make a good resource for schools teaching—it’s far more interesting and enlightening than my textbooks were!
Read
August 19, 2025Forces you to think
I read because it stimulates my imagination. It makes me think. For me, reading initiates thoughts that are sometimes what the author intended and often quite different. As a physicist I'm quite familiar with the topics covered in this book. However the perspectives from which they're presented trigger thoughts well beyond the book's content. This makes for very slow reading ...... and lots of fun.
I read because it stimulates my imagination. It makes me think. For me, reading initiates thoughts that are sometimes what the author intended and often quite different. As a physicist I'm quite familiar with the topics covered in this book. However the perspectives from which they're presented trigger thoughts well beyond the book's content. This makes for very slow reading ...... and lots of fun.
October 9, 2024
fun read
"Faster Than Light" is a fun and thought-provoking read that makes complex science easy to understand. With a mix of humor and clear explanations, Robert Nemiroff turns the speed of light into an engaging and entertaining journey. Perfect for anyone curious about physics, this book offers a fresh and lighthearted approach to deep concepts.
"Faster Than Light" is a fun and thought-provoking read that makes complex science easy to understand. With a mix of humor and clear explanations, Robert Nemiroff turns the speed of light into an engaging and entertaining journey. Perfect for anyone curious about physics, this book offers a fresh and lighthearted approach to deep concepts.
March 26, 2025
The book deals with many strange, non-intuitive, and interesting phenomena and concepts. Its format—a set of questions—is also novel and interesting. The problem is that the explanation for the right answer is most often incomplete and refers to some online article or page, which may have a totally different context. This can frustrating
January 1, 2024
Robert Nemiroff's "Faster than Light" is a rare book that is brilliant, serious, and funny all at once. Dr. Nemiroff has a remarkable talent for making daunting concepts easy to understand and enjoyable to learn. A must read.
February 11, 2025
For Science Enthusiasts
I bought this one out of curiosity. And in it Nemiroff delves into the intriguing paradoxes of light speed, offering accessible explanations that challenge our understanding of physics. A must-read for science enthusiasts and the inquisitive-minded.
I bought this one out of curiosity. And in it Nemiroff delves into the intriguing paradoxes of light speed, offering accessible explanations that challenge our understanding of physics. A must-read for science enthusiasts and the inquisitive-minded.
October 6, 2023
Interesting!
If this subject interests you I think you will like the unique perspective of this author’s writing. Definitely worth a look!
If this subject interests you I think you will like the unique perspective of this author’s writing. Definitely worth a look!
September 5, 2025
Thought provoking
A great read for anyone interested in cosmology and physics. Material mostly presented in Q&A format…worth a read right now
A great read for anyone interested in cosmology and physics. Material mostly presented in Q&A format…worth a read right now
April 30, 2024
Speeding Beyond the Light Barrier
I was absolutely fascinated by this book’s exploration of concepts that stretch the very fabric of physics as we understand them. The author does an excellent job of breaking down complex theories into understandable segments, focusing on the peculiarities of light and shadows in ways that challenge conventional physics. It's a thought-provoking journey through scientific wonders and theoretical possibilities that left me pondering long after I turned the last page. For anyone intrigued by the extremes of speed and light, this book is a must-read.
I was absolutely fascinated by this book’s exploration of concepts that stretch the very fabric of physics as we understand them. The author does an excellent job of breaking down complex theories into understandable segments, focusing on the peculiarities of light and shadows in ways that challenge conventional physics. It's a thought-provoking journey through scientific wonders and theoretical possibilities that left me pondering long after I turned the last page. For anyone intrigued by the extremes of speed and light, this book is a must-read.
April 26, 2024
Easy-to-grasp knowledge
I just wrapped up a delightful read that humorously unravels the complexities surrounding the universe's most famous speed limit—the speed of light. This book transforms potentially dense scientific concepts into engaging, easy-to-grasp knowledge, infused with a good dose of humor. The illustrations and images throughout the book are not only helpful but make the challenging concepts discussed much more accessible and understandable. Perfect for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of physics without getting bogged down by heavy jargon, this book is educational, insightful, and undeniably fun to read.
I just wrapped up a delightful read that humorously unravels the complexities surrounding the universe's most famous speed limit—the speed of light. This book transforms potentially dense scientific concepts into engaging, easy-to-grasp knowledge, infused with a good dose of humor. The illustrations and images throughout the book are not only helpful but make the challenging concepts discussed much more accessible and understandable. Perfect for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of physics without getting bogged down by heavy jargon, this book is educational, insightful, and undeniably fun to read.
March 11, 2024
Engaging read!
It was clear and engaging read! It navigates complex scientific concepts, inviting readers on a thought-provoking journey into the mysteries of the universe. Whether a physicist or a curious layperson, readers will find themselves captivated about the reality's fundamental nature!
It was clear and engaging read! It navigates complex scientific concepts, inviting readers on a thought-provoking journey into the mysteries of the universe. Whether a physicist or a curious layperson, readers will find themselves captivated about the reality's fundamental nature!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews