Recommended Reading

I'm in the middle of The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, a physics professor at Columbia University who has set out to explain to the average person a theory that resolves the fundamental inconsistencies between quantum mechanics and Einstein's special and general relativity (if you didn't realize quantum mechanics and relativity were incompatible, don't worry--he explains all that in Part 1). I haven't had this much fun getting dizzy since I stood smack under the rear end of the Spruce Goose and looked straight up at 80 feet of airplane tail. Now, that's a head rush. I take this as a good sign, since apparently quantum mechanics is supposed to make your head spin. Actually, the quantum mechanics isn't the hard part. The hard part is that the math of the universe works out best when there are 11 dimensions instead of the four we're used to dealing with. Having given the subject much thought before starting this book, I'm OK with second and third dimensions of time, and thanks to The Elegant Universe, I've almost wrapped my brain around a fourth spatial dimension. Dimensions 8-11 still elude me, though. I've got a book on request from the library that should help with that part as soon as I'm done with this one.

The Elegant Universe is #512 at Amazon.com (#5 in Norman, Oklahoma!), so I can't be the only one who finds theoretical physics fun summer reading. However, I do have to wonder: I am the only person on the planet frustrated by her inability to comprehend more than 7 dimensions of spacetime?