WHY DOES E=MC2?
Why Does E=MC2?
Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw
World English language rights: Da Capo Press
Simplified Chinese language rights: Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House
Greek language rights: Travlos Publishers
Japanese language rights: Kinokuniya Company
Korean language rights: Book 21 Publishing Group
All other rights available
Shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books 2010.
'In Why Does E=mc2?, Brian and Cox and Jeff Forshaw tackle the most famous equation of all time in a remarkably comprehensive way... the pair make some surprising points that I haven't seen expressed in quite the same way' - New Scientist on the Royal Society 2010 shortlist.
'They have blazed a clear trail into forbidding territory, from the mathematical structure of space-time all the way to atom bombs, astrophysics and the origin of mass' - New Scientist
'A brilliant starting point for any non-expert who wants to understand the most important equation yet formulated. This is a lucid and intelligent book ... The idea that space and time are not immutable constants is fundamental and dizzyingly exciting' - The Times
'Pairs the enthusiasm of newcomers with the knowledge of experts' - Physics World
'Many authors have tried to explain [the equation’s] origins, with mixed results. It’s hard to think of two authors more qualified for the job than Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw…They do a grand job of answering the question in the book’s title, and of tying it to the cutting edge of 21st century physics' - BBC Focus Magazine
'One of the important problems with popularizations of science is that there is not one public, there are many publics, and each public has its own formal education and interest in science. Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, two physicists, have managed to produce an account of relativity physics accessible to a wide range of various publics' - The Huffington Post
'[It] remind[s] us that Einstein’s equation is not some esoteric idea best pondered by scientific supermen, but a profound insight that continues to change lives…Cox and Forshaw’s enthusiasm for their material is plain…You will find them accommodating escorts' - The Boston Globe
'It's always fun when brilliant minds take on complex questions, particularly when said brilliant minds are happy to share their conclusions with readers, in reader-friendly and fascinating books such as Why Does E=mc2?...There is a great deal of knowledge and quite competent explanation throughout the book, which should serve as a dream come true for anyone who ever loved science, or wanted to learn more about it without having to go back to school. Come to this read with an open mind and a desire to learn, and you will come away with a treasure trove of knowledge' - Sacramento Book Review
'British theoretical physicists Cox and Forshaw offer lay readers a fascinating account of modern scientists' view of the world, and how it got that way. Without using complicated mathematics, Cox and Forshaw show how the search for “mathematical consistency” can guide scientists in finding the “laws that describe physical reality.” The authors provide the historical context that set the stage for Einstein’s discovery, providing an easy-to-grasp explanation of counterintuitive experimental evidence, demonstrating how the speed of light acts as a “cosmic speed limit,” the exception that proves the rule of relativity. The authors also clearly explain the tide shift that Einstein caused, transforming scientists' understanding of the world—“common-sense notions regarding space and time are dashed and replaced by something entirely new, unexpected, and elegant.” Though the basics are covered in detail, there's plenty here for science buffs to ponder' - Publishers' Weekly
'If you’ve ever wanted to understand the basic principles of energy, mass and light there’s no better place to learn' - The Manchester Evening News
'This is not only a painstakingly accessible explanation of spacetime, mass, particles, gravity, and a whole bunch of things that are just plain not simple. It's also an explanation, for non-scientists, of what physicists do, and why they want to do it' - Bookslut.com
'Cox and Forshaw take the equation that all of us know and few of us understand - and make it crystal clear for all of us. A thrilling experience of passionate comprehension' -
Ann Druyan, co-writer, COSMOS televison series
This is an engaging and accessible explanation of Einstein's equation that explores the principles of physics through everyday life. In this riveting, deeply informative exploration of Einstein's famous equation, Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein’s most famous equation. Breaking down the symbols themselves, they pose a series of questions: What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with energy and mass?
In answering these questions, they take us to the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted. Lying beneath the city of Geneva, straddling the Franco-Swiss boarder, is a 27 km particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. Using this gigantic machine - which can recreate conditions in the early Universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang - Cox and Forshaw describe the current theory behind the origin of mass.
Alongside questions of energy and mass, they consider the third, and perhaps, most intriguing element of the equation: 'c' - or the speed of light. Why is it that the speed of light is the exchange rate? Answering this question is at the heart of the investigation as the authors demonstrate how, in order to truly understand why E=mc2, we first must understand why we must move forward in time and not backwards and how objects in our 3-dimensional world actually move in 4-dimensional space-time. In other words, how the very fabric of our world is constructed. A collaboration between two of the youngest professors in the UK, "Why Does E=MC2?" promises to be one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity in recent years.
Brian Cox is a professor of particle physicist and Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. He divides his time between Manchester in the UK and the CERN laboratory in Geneva, where he heads an international project to upgrade the giant ATLAS and CMS detectors at the Large Hadron Collider. He has received many awards for his work promoting science, including being elected an International Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2002, an organization whose members include Neil Armstrong and Chuck Yeager. He is also a popular presenter on TV and radio, with credits which include a six-part series Wonders of the Solar System for BBC2, a six-part series on Einstein for BBC Radio 4, 3 BBC Horizon programs on Gravity, Time and Nuclear Fusion, and a BBC4 documentary about the LHC at CERN, “The Big Bang Machine”. He was the Science Advisor on Danny Boyle's movie, the science-fiction thriller Sunshine. Brian also has an unorthodox background in the music business, having toured the world with various bands and played keyboard with D:REAM, who had several UK Top 10 hits including Things Can Only Get Better (re-released & used as Tony Blair's election anthem back in 1997.
Jeff Forshaw is professor of theoretical physics at the University of Manchester, specializing in the physics of elementary particles. He was awarded the Institute of Physics Maxwell Medal in 1999 for outstanding contributions to theoretical physics. He graduated from Oxford University and gained a PhD from Manchester University. From 1992-1995 he worked in Professor Frank Close's group at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory before returning to Manchester in 1995. Jeff is an enthusiastic lecturer and currently teaches Einstein's Theory of Relativity to first year undergraduates. He has co-writing an undergraduate textbook on relativity for Wiley and he is the author of an advanced level monograph on particle physics for Cambridge University Press.
Cox and Forshaw began collaborating on scientific papers in 1998, and have published on topics ranging from Pomerons to Higgs Bosons. Their most successful paper to date deals with physics at the Large Hadron Collider in the absence of a Higgs particle.
