A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe

Download A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 038722761X
Total Pages : 426 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (872 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe by : Mark P. Silverman

Download or read book A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe written by Mark P. Silverman and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-04-08 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: jThis thoroughly updated and revised text contains a selection of well-written essays based on Silvermans work on a wide range of topics, including: quantum mechanics, including atomic and nuclear physics, electromagnetism and optics, gravity, thermodynamics, and the physics of fluids. Presenting a personal odyssey in physics, Silverman investigates processes for which no visualizable mechanism can be given, or that seem to violate fundamental physical laws (but do not). The discussions use little mathematics, and anyone with a little college physics will be able to read the book with pleasure. -Engagingly written -Easily understandable by both the general reader and the seasoned physicist -Covers a diversity of subjects from "hot" topics in contemporary physics to less widely known but subtle and intriguing issues in physics -Discusses real physical systems whose behavior provokes, surprises and challenges the imagination -This second edition is newly revised and updated

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

Download The Biggest Ideas in the Universe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0593186583
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (931 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Biggest Ideas in the Universe by : Sean Carroll

Download or read book The Biggest Ideas in the Universe written by Sean Carroll and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Most appealing... technical accuracy and lightness of tone... Impeccable.”—Wall Street Journal “A porthole into another world.”—Scientific American “Brings science dissemination to a new level.”—Science The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll, with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality. Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe but those insights come in the form of equations that often look like gobbledygook. Sean Carroll shows that they are really like meaningful poems that can help us fly over sierras to discover a miraculous multidimensional landscape alive with radiant giants, warped space-time, and bewilderingly powerful forces. High school calculus is itself a centuries-old marvel as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa. And it may come as a surprise the extent to which all our most cutting-edge ideas about black holes are built on the math calculus enables. No one else could so smoothly guide readers toward grasping the very equation Einstein used to describe his theory of general relativity. In the tradition of the legendary Richard Feynman lectures presented sixty years ago, this book is an inspiring, dazzling introduction to a way of seeing that will resonate across cultural and generational boundaries for many years to come.

The Universe in a Single Atom

Download The Universe in a Single Atom PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harmony
ISBN 13 : 0767920813
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (679 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Universe in a Single Atom by : Dalai Lama

Download or read book The Universe in a Single Atom written by Dalai Lama and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2006-09-12 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Galileo, Copernicus, Newton, Niels Bohr, Einstein. Their insights shook our perception of who we are and where we stand in the world, and in their wake have left an uneasy coexistence: science vs. religion, faith vs. empirical inquiry. Which is the keeper of truth? Which is the true path to understanding reality? After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific minds, as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual, and philosophic study, the Dalai Lama presents a brilliant analysis of why all avenues of inquiry—scientific as well as spiritual—must be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth. Through an examination of Darwinism and karma, quantum mechanics and philosophical insight into the nature of reality, neurobiology and the study of consciousness, the Dalai Lama draws significant parallels between contemplative and scientific examinations of reality. This breathtakingly personal examination is a tribute to the Dalai Lama’s teachers—both of science and spirituality. The legacy of this book is a vision of the world in which our different approaches to understanding ourselves, our universe, and one another can be brought together in the service of humanity.

The Universe And The Atom

Download The Universe And The Atom PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9814475939
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (144 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Universe And The Atom by : Don B Lichtenberg

Download or read book The Universe And The Atom written by Don B Lichtenberg and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2007-06-04 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a fascinating and popular account of the very large and the very small, from the universe as a whole to subatomic physics. It includes qualitative explanations of quantum mechanics and relativity, the big bang with inflation, the synthesis of elements, atoms, nuclei, subnuclear physics, quarks, leptons, and other elementary particles. It also gives an account of dark matter and dark energy. In summary, it provides and overview of what we know about the universe and what it is made of, and also what we don't know.

The Kid's Book of the Elements

Download The Kid's Book of the Elements PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN 13 : 0762470798
Total Pages : 128 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (624 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Kid's Book of the Elements by : Theodore Gray

Download or read book The Kid's Book of the Elements written by Theodore Gray and published by Black Dog & Leventhal. This book was released on 2020-10-20 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fun, fascinating, and amazingly photographic exploration of the periodic table, for curious kids who want to understand how atoms and elements make up everything in the universe. In this very special kids' edition of Theodore Gray's The Elements, budding scientists, ages 6 to 9, will learn all about every element in the periodic table from the first element, Hydrogen (1), to the very last element, Oganesson (118). Filled with great big colorful photographs and fun facts for every element, The Kid's Book of The Elements is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of chemistry and visual/tactile-based STEM/STEAM learning. This edition also includes 120 sturdy tear-out cards of each element for kids to play with and arrange on their own.

Probable Impossibilities

Download Probable Impossibilities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0593081323
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Probable Impossibilities by : Alan Lightman

Download or read book Probable Impossibilities written by Alan Lightman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Einstein’s Dreams tackles "big questions like the origin of the universe and the nature of consciousness ... in an entertaining and easily digestible way” (Wall Street Journal) with a collection of meditative essays on the possibilities—and impossibilities—of nothingness and infinity, and how our place in the cosmos falls somewhere in between. Can space be divided into smaller and smaller units, ad infinitum? Does space extend to larger and larger regions, on and on to infinity? Is consciousness reducible to the material brain and its neurons? What was the origin of life, and can biologists create life from scratch in the lab? Physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, whom The Washington Post has called “the poet laureate of science writers,” explores these questions and more—from the anatomy of a smile to the capriciousness of memory to the specialness of life in the universe to what came before the Big Bang. Probable Impossibilities is a deeply engaged consideration of what we know of the universe, of life and the mind, and of things vastly larger and smaller than ourselves.

The Quotable Feynman

Download The Quotable Feynman PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691153035
Total Pages : 430 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Quotable Feynman by : Richard P. Feynman

Download or read book The Quotable Feynman written by Richard P. Feynman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-09-29 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A treasure-trove of illuminating and entertaining quotations from beloved physicist Richard P. Feynman "Some people say, ‘How can you live without knowing?' I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know."—Richard P. Feynman Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was that rarest of creatures—a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who became as famous for the wit and wisdom of his popular lectures and writings as for his fundamental contributions to science. The Quotable Feynman is a treasure-trove of this revered and beloved scientist's most profound, provocative, humorous, and memorable quotations on a wide range of subjects. Carefully selected by Richard Feynman's daughter, Michelle Feynman, from his spoken and written legacy, including interviews, lectures, letters, articles, and books, the quotations are arranged under two dozen topics—from art, childhood, discovery, family, imagination, and humor to mathematics, politics, science, religion, and uncertainty. These brief passages—about 500 in all—vividly demonstrate Feynman's astonishing yet playful intelligence, and his almost constitutional inability to be anything other than unconventional, engaging, and inspiring. The result is a unique, illuminating, and enjoyable portrait of Feynman's life and thought that will be cherished by his fans at the same time that it provides an ideal introduction to Feynman for readers new to this intriguing and important thinker. The book features a foreword in which physicist Brian Cox pays tribute to Feynman and describes how his words reveal his particular genius, a piece in which cellist Yo-Yo Ma shares his memories of Feynman and reflects on his enduring appeal, and a personal preface by Michelle Feynman. It also includes some previously unpublished quotations, a chronology of Richard Feynman's life, some twenty photos of Feynman, and a section of memorable quotations about Feynman from other notable figures. Features: Approximately 500 quotations, some of them previously unpublished, arranged by topic A foreword by Brian Cox, reflections by Yo-Yo Ma, and a preface by Michelle Feynman A chronology of Feynman's life Some twenty photos of Feynman A section of quotations about Feynman from other notable figures Some notable quotations of Richard P. Feynman: "The thing that doesn't fit is the most interesting." "Thinking is nothing but talking to yourself inside." "It is wonderful if you can find something you love to do in your youth which is big enough to sustain your interest through all your adult life. Because, whatever it is, if you do it well enough (and you will, if you truly love it), people will pay you to do what you want to do anyway." "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character

Download

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393355683
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (933 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character by : Richard P. Feynman

Download or read book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character written by Richard P. Feynman and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most famous science books of our time, the phenomenal national bestseller that "buzzes with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist" (Science Digest). Richard P. Feynman, winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, thrived on outrageous adventures. In this lively work that “can shatter the stereotype of the stuffy scientist” (Detroit Free Press), Feynman recounts his experiences trading ideas on atomic physics with Einstein and cracking the uncrackable safes guarding the most deeply held nuclear secrets—and much more of an eyebrow-raising nature. In his stories, Feynman’s life shines through in all its eccentric glory—a combustible mixture of high intelligence, unlimited curiosity, and raging chutzpah. Included for this edition is a new introduction by Bill Gates.

"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character

Download

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393079813
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character by : Richard P. Feynman

Download or read book "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character written by Richard P. Feynman and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2011-02-14 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times best-selling sequel to "Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!" One of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century, Richard Feynman possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled ability to tell the stories of his life. "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" is Feynman’s last literary legacy, prepared with his friend and fellow drummer, Ralph Leighton. Among its many tales—some funny, others intensely moving—we meet Feynman’s first wife, Arlene, who taught him of love’s irreducible mystery as she lay dying in a hospital bed while he worked nearby on the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. We are also given a fascinating narrative of the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger’s explosion in 1986, and we relive the moment when Feynman revealed the disaster’s cause by an elegant experiment: dropping a ring of rubber into a glass of cold water and pulling it out, misshapen.

At the Edge of Time

Download At the Edge of Time PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691197008
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis At the Edge of Time by : Dan Hooper

Download or read book At the Edge of Time written by Dan Hooper and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang—and how research into these moments continues to revolutionize our understanding of our universe Scientists in the past few decades have made crucial discoveries about how our cosmos evolved over the past 13.8 billion years. But there remains a critical gap in our knowledge: we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the Big Bang. At the Edge of Time focuses on what we have recently learned and are still striving to understand about this most essential and mysterious period of time at the beginning of cosmic history. Delving into the remarkable science of cosmology, Dan Hooper describes many of the extraordinary and perplexing questions that scientists are asking about the origin and nature of our world. Hooper examines how we are using the Large Hadron Collider and other experiments to re-create the conditions of the Big Bang and test promising theories for how and why our universe came to contain so much matter and so little antimatter. We may be poised to finally discover how dark matter was formed during our universe’s first moments, and, with new telescopes, we are also lifting the veil on the era of cosmic inflation, which led to the creation of our world as we know it. Wrestling with the mysteries surrounding the initial moments that followed the Big Bang, At the Edge of Time presents an accessible investigation of our universe and its origin.

Atom

Download Atom PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Hachette+ORM
ISBN 13 : 0759523215
Total Pages : 326 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (595 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Atom by : Lawrence M. Krauss

Download or read book Atom written by Lawrence M. Krauss and published by Hachette+ORM. This book was released on 2001-04-11 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of matter and the history of the cosmos from the perspective of a single oxygen atom, told with the insight and wit of one of the most dynamic physicists and writers working today. Through this astonishing work, he manages to stoke wonder at the powers and unlikely events that conspired to create our solar system, our ecosystem, and us.

The Zoomable Universe

Download The Zoomable Universe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
ISBN 13 : 0374279748
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (742 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Zoomable Universe by : Caleb Scharf

Download or read book The Zoomable Universe written by Caleb Scharf and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2017-10-17 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic, full-color visual journey through all scales of the universe In The Zoomable Universe, the award-winning astrobiologist Caleb Scharf and the acclaimed artist Ron Miller take us on an epic tour through all known scales of reality, from the largest possible magnitude to the smallest. Drawing on cutting-edge science, they begin at the limits of the observable universe, a scale spanning 10^27 meters—about 93 billion light-years. And they end in the subatomic realm, at 10^-35 meters, where the fabric of space-time itself confounds all known rules of physics. In between are galaxies, stars and planets, oceans and continents, plants and animals, microorganisms, atoms, and much, much more. Stops along the way—all enlivened by Scharf’s sparkling prose and his original insights into the nature of our universe—include the brilliant core of the Milky Way, the surface of a rogue planet, the back of an elephant, and a sea of jostling quarks. The Zoomable Universe is packed with more than 100 original illustrations and infographics that will captivate readers of every age. It is a whimsical celebration of discovery, a testament to our astounding ability to see beyond our own vantage point and chart a course from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to its subatomic depths—in short, a must-have for the shelves of all explorers.

The Universe in a Nutshell

Download The Universe in a Nutshell PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780552213516
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (135 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Universe in a Nutshell by : Stephen W. Hawking

Download or read book The Universe in a Nutshell written by Stephen W. Hawking and published by . This book was released on 2005-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stephen Hawking s A Brief History of Time was a publishing phenomenon. Translated into thirty languages, it has sold over nine million copies worldwide. It continues to captivate and inspire new readers every year. When it was first published in 1988 the ideas discussed in it were at the cutting edge of what was then known about the universe. In the intervening years there have been extraordinary advances in our understanding of the space and time. The technology for observing the micro- and macro-cosmic world has developed in leaps and bounds. During the same period cosmology and the theoretical sciences have entered a new golden age. Professor Stephen Hawking has been at the heart of this new scientific renaissance. Now, in The Universe in a Nutshell, Stephen Hawking brings us fully up-to-date with the advances in scientific thinking. We are now nearer than we have ever been to a full understanding of the universe. In a fascinating and accessible discussion that ranges from quantum mechanics, to time travel, black holes to uncertainty theory, to the search for science s Holy Grail the unified field theory (or in layman s terms the theory of absolutely everything ) Professor Hawking once more takes us to the cutting edge of modern thinking. Beautifully illustrated throughout, with original artwork commissioned for this project, The Universe in a Nutshell is guaranteed to be the biggest science book of 2001.

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Download The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Laurentiu-Marian Ene
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 109 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by : Violet R. Nunez

Download or read book The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory written by Violet R. Nunez and published by Laurentiu-Marian Ene. This book was released on 2024-10-24 with total page 109 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delve into the fascinating world of String Theory with this comprehensive guide that covers everything from the basics of Quantum Mechanics to the challenges and future directions in the field. Explore the connections between String Theory and Quantum Gravity, delve into the mysteries of the Multiverse, and uncover the intricate relationships between String Theory and Mathematics. Packed with insights and explanations, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the cutting-edge theories that are shaping our understanding of the universe.

Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction

Download Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191579440
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction by : Peter Coles

Download or read book Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction written by Peter Coles and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2001-08-23 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a simple, non-technical introduction to cosmology, explaining what it is and what cosmologists do. Peter Coles discusses the history of the subject, the development of the Big Bang theory, and more speculative modern issues like quantum cosmology, superstrings, and dark matter. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Boltzmanns Atom

Download Boltzmanns Atom PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1501142674
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Boltzmanns Atom by : David Lindley

Download or read book Boltzmanns Atom written by David Lindley and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-12-19 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1900 many eminent scientists did not believe atoms existed, yet within just a few years the atomic century launched into history with an astonishing string of breakthroughs in physics that began with Albert Einstein and continues to this day. Before this explosive growth into the modern age took place, an all-but-forgotten genius strove for forty years to win acceptance for the atomic theory of matter and an altogether new way of doing physics. Ludwig Boltz-mann battled with philosophers, the scientific establishment, and his own potent demons. His victory led the way to the greatest scientific achievements of the twentieth century. Now acclaimed science writer David Lindley portrays the dramatic story of Boltzmann and his embrace of the atom, while providing a window on the civilized world that gave birth to our scientific era. Boltzmann emerges as an endearingly quixotic character, passionately inspired by Beethoven, who muddled through the practical matters of life in a European gilded age. Boltzmann's story reaches from fin de siècle Vienna, across Germany and Britain, to America. As the Habsburg Empire was crumbling, Germany's intellectual might was growing; Edinburgh in Scotland was one of the most intellectually fertile places on earth; and, in America, brilliant independent minds were beginning to draw on the best ideas of the bureaucratized old world. Boltzmann's nemesis in the field of theoretical physics at home in Austria was Ernst Mach, noted today in the term Mach I, the speed of sound. Mach believed physics should address only that which could be directly observed. How could we know that frisky atoms jiggling about corresponded to heat if we couldn't see them? Why should we bother with theories that only told us what would probably happen, rather than making an absolute prediction? Mach and Boltzmann both believed in the power of science, but their approaches to physics could not have been more opposed. Boltzmann sought to explain the real world, and cast aside any philosophical criteria. Mach, along with many nineteenth-century scientists, wanted to construct an empirical edifice of absolute truths that obeyed strict philosophical rules. Boltzmann did not get on well with authority in any form, and he did his best work at arm's length from it. When at the end of his career he engaged with the philosophical authorities in the Viennese academy, the results were personally disastrous and tragic. Yet Boltzmann's enduring legacy lives on in the new physics and technology of our wired world. Lindley's elegant telling of this tale combines the detailed breadth of the best history, the beauty of theoretical physics, and the psychological insight belonging to the finest of novels.

The Accidental Universe

Download The Accidental Universe PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307908593
Total Pages : 108 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (79 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Accidental Universe by : Alan Lightman

Download or read book The Accidental Universe written by Alan Lightman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling author of Einsteins Dreams explores the emotional and philosophical questions raised by recent discoveries in science with passion and curiosity. He looks at the dialogue between science and religion; the conflict between our human desire for permanence and the impermanence of nature; the possibility that our universe is simply an accident; the manner in which modern technology has separated us from direct experience of the world; and our resistance to the view that our bodies and minds can be explained by scientific logic and laws. Behind all of these considerations is the suggestion--at once haunting and exhilarating--that what we see and understand of the world is only a tiny piece of the extraordinary, perhaps unfathomable whole.