The Physics And Astronomy Of Science Fiction
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| Author | : Steven D. Bloom |
| Publisher | : McFarland |
| Total Pages | : 245 |
| Release | : 2016-07-13 |
| Genre | : Literary Criticism |
| ISBN | : 1476623996 |
The great scientific, astronomical and technological advances of the 20th century inspired the science fiction genre to imagine distant worlds and futures, far beyond the discoveries of the here and now. This book explores science fiction films, television series, novels and short stories--from Lost in Space (1965-1968) to Fringe (2008-2013) to the works of Isaac Asimov and Stephen Baxter--with a focus on their underlying concepts of physics and astronomy. Assessing accuracy and plausibility, the author considers the possibilities of solar system, interstellar and faster than light travel; intelligent planets, dark (anti-) matter, the multiverse and string theory, time travel, alternate universes, teleportation and replication, weaponry, force fields, extraterrestrial life, subatomic life, emotional robots, super-human and parapsychological powers, asteroid impacts, space colonies and many other topics.
| Author | : Charles L. Adler |
| Publisher | : Princeton University Press |
| Total Pages | : 392 |
| Release | : 2014 |
| Genre | : Literary Criticism |
| ISBN | : 0691196370 |
"From teleportation and space elevators to alien contact and interstellar travel, science fiction and fantasy writers have come up with some brilliant and innovative ideas. Yet how plausible are these ideas--for instance, could Mr. Weasley's flying car in Harry Potter really exist? Which concepts might actually happen--and which ones wouldn't work at all? Wizards, Aliens, and Starships delves into the most extraordinary details in science fiction and fantasy--such as time warps, shape changing, rocket launches, and illumination by floating candle--and shows readers the physics and math behind the phenomena. With simple mathematical models, and in most cases using no more than high school algebra, Charles Adler ranges across a plethora of remarkable imaginings, from the works of Ursula K. Le Guin to Star Trek and Avatar, to explore what might become reality. Adler explains why fantasy in the Harry Potter and Dresden Files novels cannot adhere strictly to scientific laws, and when magic might make scientific sense in the muggle world. He examines space travel and wonders why it isn't cheaper and more common today. Adler also discusses exoplanets and how the search for alien life has shifted from radio communications to space-based telescopes. He concludes by investigating the future survival of humanity and other intelligent races. Throughout, he cites an abundance of science fiction and fantasy authors, and includes concise descriptions of stories as well as a glossary of science terms. Wizards, Aliens, and Starships will speak to anyone wanting to know about the correct--and incorrect--science of science fiction and fantasy"--
| Author | : Greg Egan |
| Publisher | : Start Publishing LLC |
| Total Pages | : 339 |
| Release | : 2017-07-11 |
| Genre | : Fiction |
| ISBN | : 1597806056 |
Seth is a surveyor, along with his friend Theo, a leech-like creature running through his skull who tells Seth what lies to his left and right. Theo, in turn, relies on Seth for mobility, and for ordinary vision looking forwards and backwards. Like everyone else in their world, they are symbionts, depending on each other to survive. In the universe containing Seth's world, light cannot travel in all directions: there is a “dark cone” to the north and south. Seth can only face to the east (or the west, if he tips his head backwards). If he starts to turn to the north or south, his body stretches out across the landscape, and to rotate as far as north-north-east is every bit as impossible as accelerating to the speed of light. Every living thing in Seth’s world is in a state of perpetual migration as they follow the sun’s shifting orbit and the narrow habitable zone it creates. Cities are being constantly disassembled at one edge and rebuilt at the other, with surveyors mapping safe routes ahead. But when Seth and Theo join an expedition to the edge of the habitable zone, they discover a terrifying threat: a fissure in the surface of the world, so deep and wide that no one can perceive its limits. As the habitable zone continues to move, the migration will soon be blocked by this unbridgeable void, and the expedition has only one option to save its city from annihilation: descend into the unknown.
| Author | : Michael Brotherton |
| Publisher | : Springer |
| Total Pages | : 220 |
| Release | : 2016-11-15 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 3319411020 |
This anthology contains fourteen intriguing stories by active research scientists and other writers trained in science. Science is at the heart of real science fiction, which is more than just westerns with ray guns or fantasy with spaceships. The people who do science and love science best are scientists. Scientists like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Fred Hoyle wrote some of the legendary tales of golden age science fiction. Today there is a new generation of scientists writing science fiction informed with the expertise of their fields, from astrophysics to computer science, biochemistry to rocket science, quantum physics to genetics, speculating about what is possible in our universe. Here lies the sense of wonder only science can deliver. All the stories in this volume are supplemented by afterwords commenting on the science underlying each story.
| Author | : Leroy W. Dubeck |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 348 |
| Release | : 2004 |
| Genre | : Performing Arts |
| ISBN | : 0387004408 |
What principle of mechanics is illustrated in the science fiction thriller Terminator 2: Judgment Day? How is nuclear fission important to the plot of Aliens? Is the time travel portrayed in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home a real possibility? Discover the surprising answers to these and a host of other intriguing questions in Fantastic Voyages. This book provides basic physics and biology instruction using scenes from popular science fiction films as examples of the concepts discussed. Scenes are discussed from such sci-fi classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still, Planet of the Apes and The Andromeda Strain. The latter includes study questions on biological terrorism. More recent hit films discussed include Contact, Jurassic Park and Independence Day. The book is divided into three sections: basic physics and astronomy for non-science majors selected topics in biology detailed plot descriptions of 42 films The new edition also contains material about the greenhouse effect, nuclear power and nuclear terrorism, and the effects of an impact from a comet or asteroid. Acclaim for the previous edition: "If you find science fiction films thought-provoking, this could be the book for you...The scope of the book is wide, with a good grounding in basic physics and biology, and a lot of other information besides." –New Scientist "The idea of using science fiction films to convey science in an interesting way is sound, and anyone preparing a course using the genre should at least consult this book." –Nature ABOUT THE AUTHORS Leroy W. Dubeck is Professor of Physics at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Suzanne E. Moshier is Professor of Biology at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Judith E. Boss is Professor of English at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.
| Author | : Lawrence M. Krauss |
| Publisher | : Basic Books |
| Total Pages | : 282 |
| Release | : 2007-08-02 |
| Genre | : Performing Arts |
| ISBN | : 0465008631 |
How does the Star Trek universe stack up against the real universe? What warps when you're traveling at warp speed? What is the difference between a wormhole and a black hole? Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I am born? Anyone who has ever wondered "could this really happen?" will gain useful insights into the Star Trek universe (and, incidentally, the real world of physics) in this charming and accessible guide. Lawrence M. Krauss boldly goes where Star Trek has gone-and beyond. From Newton to Hawking, from Einstein to Feynman, from Kirk to Picard, Krauss leads readers on a voyage to the world of physics as we now know it and as it might one day be.
| Author | : Fred Hoyle |
| Publisher | : Penguin UK |
| Total Pages | : 318 |
| Release | : 2010-09-02 |
| Genre | : Fiction |
| ISBN | : 0141967498 |
A 1959 classic 'hard' science-fiction novel by renowned Cambridge astronomer and cosmologist Fred Hoyle. Tracks the progress of a giant black cloud that comes towards Earth and sits in front of the sun, causing widespread panic and death. A select group of scientists and astronomers - including the dignified Astronomer Royal, the pipe smoking Dr Marlowe and the maverick, eccentric Professor Kingsly - engage in a mad race to understand and communicate with the cloud, battling against trigger happy politicians. In the pacy, engaging style of John Wyndham and John Christopher, with plenty of hard science thrown in to add to the chillingly credible premise (he manages to foretell Artificial Intelligence, Optical Character Recognition and Text-to-Speech converters), Hoyle carries you breathlessly through to its thrilling end.
| Author | : Lawrence M. Krauss |
| Publisher | : Harper Collins |
| Total Pages | : 248 |
| Release | : 2011-04-05 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 0062040871 |
In the bestselling The Physics of Star Trek, the renowned theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss took readers on an entertaining and eye-opening tour of the Star Trek universe to see how it stacked up against the real universe. Now, responding to requests for more as well as to a number of recent exciting discoveries in physics and astronomy, Krauss takes a provocative look at how the laws of physics relate to notions from our popular culture -- not only Star Trek, but other films, shows, and popular lore -- from Independence Day to Star Wars to The X-Files. What's the difference between a flying saucer and a flying pretzel? Why didn't the aliens in Independence Day have to bother invading Earth to destroy it? What's new with warp drives? What's the most likely scenario for doomsday? Are ESP and telekinesis impossible? What do clairvoyance and time travel have in common? How might quantum mechanics ultimately affect the fate of life in the universe?
| Author | : Andy Weir |
| Publisher | : Ballantine Books |
| Total Pages | : 497 |
| Release | : 2021-05-04 |
| Genre | : Fiction |
| ISBN | : 0593135210 |
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling. HUGO AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST BOOKS: Bill Gates, GatesNotes, New York Public Library, Parade, Newsweek, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal • “An epic story of redemption, discovery and cool speculative sci-fi.”—USA Today “If you loved The Martian, you’ll go crazy for Weir’s latest.”—The Washington Post Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.
| Author | : Cornelia Dean |
| Publisher | : |
| Total Pages | : 0 |
| Release | : 2013 |
| Genre | : American newspapers |
| ISBN | : 9781402793202 |
A treasury of 125 archival articles covers more than a century of scientific breakthroughs, setbacks and mysteries and includes pieces by Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, includes Malcolm W. Browne on antimatter, James Glanz on string theory and George Johnson on quantum physics.
