Title: How to Destroy the Universe and 34 other Really Interesting Uses of Physics
Author: Paul Parsons
Publisher: Quercus
Pages: 224
Formal education is a funny thing — it can leave you open to certain possibilities and ideas, and yet crunch down firmly on others. If, like me, you've always had a reasonable interest in physics, but had it ruined by the antics of a violent high school teacher, or worse, been put off by a system that rewards you more for knowing a formula than for how to use it, you might find that How to Destroy the Universe is not a bad way to pick up from where you left off.
With titles such as ‘The Science of Doctor Who under his belt', writer Paul Parsons offers a fun, light-hearted look at physics in his latest offering, exploring topics ranging from the everyday to the bizarre.
Divided into 35 sections, one loopier than the other (‘How to make an invisibility cloak'; ‘How to be everywhere at once') the book tells you, among other things, that the lyrics of Joni Mitchell's 1970 song, We are stardust , are “100 per cent scientifically accurate”. For all its humour, the book discusses ideas that require a fair amount of attention; it isn't bedtime reading. Itexplains the ways in which the principles of physics can be applied to understand natural phenomena as well as the stuff of sci-fi, discussing theories and concepts (yes, there's no getting out of it — prepare to grapple with Kaluza-Klein theory and nuclear transmutation) that need some time to wrap one's head around. However, the book is not a do-it-yourself guide. ‘How to survive falling into a black hole', for instance, shows how an “intrepid space traveller” can plunge into the abyss of a black hole and remain alive (although escaping a black hole, Parsons informs you, is impossible).
Minimum jargon
How to Destroy the Universe explains the applications of physics well, beginning with roller-coasters and G-forces, working its way towards more complex topics such as astronomy and the possibility of extra dimensions.
Aimed at the lay person, using minimum jargon and avoiding the nitty-gritty altogether, it reads nothing like a textbook.
It could have done with some tighter proofreading (not even physics can explain asteroids missing the earth by a “wide birth”), and perhaps with more colour, but it is, on the whole, a delightfully nerdy and interesting read.
