About Time: From Sun Dials to Quantum Clocks, How the Cosmos Shapes Our Lives - And How We Shape the Cosmos. Adam Frank by Adam Frank
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I learnt about this book from another pop-physics book that I had read, Lee Smolin’s “Trouble With Physics”. I never got around to getting to the book though. Recently I bought this book as a gift for a colleague and thought I would give it a shot first!
“About Time” is exactly what it says it is. It is a recap of time, as we have seen it through the ages, back when we were cave men down to the current millisecond era of computers. Adam Frank tells the story of how time and it’s perception has been tied to our cultural advancements. He talks about various scientific experiments that have changed the way we have perceived time and our universe. The book is about the universe and it’s biggest mystery, time. Frank ties all the scientific, technological and cultural milestones to present the reader with a bigger picture of how our understanding of universe and time has advanced over generations to reach where it is today.
Adam Frank is an excellent storyteller. There was never a dull moment in the entire book, which is a very surprising thing when it comes to books about science. But the book was not oversimplified either. It gave all the necessary facts and enough details so that the curious could grab the concept, without going into the technical jargon that makes one lose interest. I personally found it rather entertaining and well laid out.
