The Motion Paradox The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space Hardback - 2007
by Mazur, Joseph.
The epic tale of an ancient, unsolved puzzle and how it relates to allscientific attempts to explain the basic structure of the universe
At the dawn of science the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno formulated his paradox of motion, and amazingly, it is still on the cutting edge of all investigations into the fabric of reality.
Zeno used logic to argue that motion is impossible, and at the heart of his maddening puzzle is the nature of space and time. Is space-time continuous or broken up like a string of beads? Over the past two millennia, many of our greatest minds including Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and other current theoreticians have been gripped by the mystery this puzzle represents.
Joseph Mazur, acclaimed author of Euclid in the Rainforest, shows how historic breakthroughs in our understanding of motion shed light on Zeno's paradox. The orbits of the planets were explained, the laws of motion were revealed, the theory of relativity was discovered but the basic structure of time and space remained elusive.
In the tradition of Fermat's Enigma and Zero, The Motion Paradox is a lively history of this apparently simple puzzle whose solution if indeed it can be solved will reveal nothing less than the fundamental nature of reality.
Summary
At the dawn of science the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno formulated his paradox of motion, and amazingly, it is still on the cutting edge of all investigations into the fabric of reality.
Zeno used logic to argue that motion is impossible, and at the heart of his maddening puzzle is the nature of space and time. Is space-time continuous or broken up like a string of beads? Over the past two millennia, many of our greatest mindsincluding Aristotle, Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and other current theoreticianshave been gripped by the mystery this puzzle represents.
Joseph Mazur, acclaimed author of Euclid in the Rainforest, shows how historic breakthroughs in our understanding of motion shed light on Zenos paradox. The orbits of the planets were explained, the laws of motion were revealed, the theory of relativity was discoveredbut the basic structure of time and space remained elusive.
In the tradition of Fermats Enigma and Zero, The Motion Paradox is a lively history of this apparently simple puzzle whose solutionif indeed it can be solvedwill reveal nothing less than the fundamental nature of reality.
Details
- Title The Motion Paradox The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
- Author Mazur, Joseph.
- Binding Hardback
- Edition First Edition
- Pages 262
- Language EN
- Publisher Dutton Adult, New York
- Date April 19, 2007
- ISBN 9780525949923
Media reviews
More Copies for Sale
The Motion Paradox : The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$10.25FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox : The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- as new
- Hardcover
- Condition
- As New
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$10.25FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox : The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Mazur, Joseph
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$11.54FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$13.30FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- very good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
NZ$17.56NZ$18.20 shipping to USA
Show Details
Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year-Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
- Item Price
-
NZ$17.56NZ$18.20 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Like New, slight wear to cover
- Edition
- First Printing
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Barrington, Illinois, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$25.66NZ$15.39Save NZ$10.27!NZ$9.06 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox: The 2500 Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Mazur, Joseph
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Cadillac, Michigan, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$22.26NZ$9.42 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Mazur, Joseph
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Used - Fine in Fine dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Item Price
-
NZ$25.68NZ$16.26 shipping to USA
Show Details
The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space
by Joseph Mazur
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used:Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780525949923 / 0525949925
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
NZ$32.25FREE shipping to USA