God's Equation

Einstein, Relativity, and the Expanding Universe

By: Amir D. Aczel

Narrated by: Kent Broadhurst

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Are we on the verge of solving the riddle of creation using Einstein's "greatest blunder"?

In a work that is at once lucid, exhilarating and profound, renowned mathematician Dr. Amir Aczel, critically acclaimed author of Fermat's Last Theorem, takes us into the heart of science's greatest mystery. In January 1998, astronomers found evidence that the cosmos is expanding at an ever-increasing rate.

The way we perceive the universe was changed forever. The most compelling theory cosmologists could find to explain this phenomenon was Einstein's cosmological constant, a theory he conceived - and rejected - over 80 years ago.

Drawing on newly discovered letters of Einstein - many translated here for the first time - years of research, and interviews with prominent mathematicians, cosmologists, physicists, and astronomers, Aczel takes us on a fascinating journey into "the strange geometry of space-time," and into the mind of a genius.

Here the unthinkable becomes real: an infinite, ever-expanding, ever-accelerating universe whose only absolute is the speed of light. Awesome in scope, thrilling in detail, God's Equation is storytelling at its finest.

©1999 Amir D. Aczel
(P)2000 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

more biography than science

While some reviewers lament the the lack of scientific detail, "God's Equations" was never meant to be a physics textbook. Nor should the reader be misled by the title into thinking there is much theology here. What we have is a good historical overview of how the man who shaped modern science developed his theories.

God's Equation

Excellent audiobook providing insight into Einstein and the science facts that are fascinating to know. One choice that can be listened to over and over again because of the multitude of information to absorb and think over. Recommend for anyone that enjoys science facts and the people who have identified these facts over time.

Very well done book

God's Equation is more of an Einstein biography related to his development of the theory of relativity than aything else. It's very well written and narrated. I enjoyed it thoroughly and listened to it twice. It makes me long for the days I spent in University research labs as a student.

Too much bla bla bla

Es un libro de ciencia, como para publicarlo en Cosmpolitan. Si realemente quieres algo serio puedes leer el cualquier libro de Bill Bryson.

Can't Get Into It...

I listened to this book for three days worth of commute, but was never able to become involved with the story. It felt very textbook rather than entertaining. I was much more engaged by the novel "A Short History of Nearly Everything."

You do not want to listen to this book

I love science, and I am particularly fascinated with relativity, its development, and its impact. That having been said, this audiobook was painful.

The author did not know whether he wanted to dumb down the science or play it straight. As a result, the book includes both rough analogies and numerous equations. If you want to have equations full of Greek letters with subscripts READ TO YOU, this is the book for you, but I would not recommend it.

Moreover, although the author endeavored to talk about the people involved in the development of relativity, I question the aspects he chose to describe at length. Personally, I do not care about which apartments Einstein occupied. I also thought the details about the expeditions to photograph eclipses to prove Einstein's general theory was excessive.

In addition, I felt the narration was very, very dry.

If you want to listen to an excellent book on science that is both well-written and well-presented, that explains the science in a clear, understandable, and witty fashion, and that recounts fascinating stories about the scientists who made the discoveries, get Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (unabridged) - skip "God's Equation."

Casting pearls before swine

Acceptable treatment of relativity theory, but the connection to "god" smacks of the dark ages.