
The Nine Numbers of the Cosmos
Rowan-Robinson(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 15. March 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
188 pages
978-0-19-286216-7 (ISBN)
Description
How old is the universe? How far away are the galaxies and how fast are they travelling away from us? What do the atoms in our bodies, our very existence, tell us about the history of the universe? Are we in a special place in the universe? What is dark matter and why do astronomers think it pervades the universe? How heavy is the vacuum? How do galaxies form? Michael Rowan-Robinson answers these questions and encapsulates all that modern astronomy has learnt about the universe around nine numbers. Some, like the age of the universe are natural choices. Others are less obvious. His motto is Montaigne's 'What do I know' and the reader emerges with a genuine feel for what we really know about the universe and also what we do not know. Only one of the nine numbers is known with real precision and four of them are extremely poorly known. Difficult ideas like the origin of the elements, the General Theory of Relativity, quantum theory, and the standard model of particle physics, ideas which underpin modern cosmology, are explained in a simple way. Speculative ideas like inflation, 'Theories of Everything', strings and superstrings, are here but they are treated with a refreshing scepticism. Although most of what we know has been learnt during the twentieth century, Rowan- Robinson gives a historical perspective and pays homage to the achievements of the Greeks, renaissance astronomers and the age of Newton. He ends the book with a look forward in time, predicting that with the advent of the MAP and PLANCK- Surveyor space missions, the Large Hadron Collider and other planned experiments, all the nine numbers will be accurately known by 2015. But many questions and mysteries will remain and the book ends with the prediction that the origin of the Big Bang itself will remain a mystery in 2100 and perhaps even in the year 3000.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
halftones
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
207 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-286216-7 (9780192862167)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Michael Rowan-Robinson
The Nine Numbers of the Cosmos
E-Book
03/2001
OUP eBook
€6.49
Available for download

Michael Rowan-Robinson
The Nine Numbers of the Cosmos
E-Book
10/1999
OUP eBook
€6.49
Available for download
Person
Michael Rowan-Robinson is Professor of Astrophysics, and Head of the Astrophysics Group, at Imperial College, London. He is an internationally recognized expert on observational cosmology and his book. The Cosmological Distance Scale is generally regarded as a classic. He leads several major international collaborations in infrared and submillimetre astronomy, including a European Commission Training and Mobility Network. He has served on numerous advisory bodies for ground-based and space astronomy both in the UK and abroad. He received a NASA Public Service award for his work on the IRAS mission.
Content
PROLOGUE