Physics of the Impossible

A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

By: Michio Kaku

Narrated by: Feodor Chin

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction (such as phasers, force fields, teleportation, and time travel) that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals - and the limits - of the laws of physics as we know them today. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains:

How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers downstream

How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars

How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology

Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one

Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes listeners on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.

©2008 Michio Kaku (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Science and science fiction buffs can easily follow Kaku's explanations as he shows that in the wonderful worlds of science, impossible things are happening every day." ( Publishers Weekly)

Awesome! A must Read

Would you consider the audio edition of Physics of the Impossible to be better than the print version?

If you love the physics docs & stephen hawking style shows on discovery, this is your book. So much more info than the tv shows.. Well written

I love it. Book for science lovers

I love it. Book for science lovers
unfortunately, not all Impossibility are covered.
I hope you like it too
I like the part about Perpetual motion device, invincibility and lights so on.
Thank you so much

I'm no genius but...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'm not sure if you could change anything about this book. It's pretty much one person's opinion on what the future will look like. Yes I looked up a few referenced items but not being much of a Star Trek viewer or Star Wars fan I was just listening for more of a physics type reference. It was ok, just a lot of "in the future, this could look like this.."

What aspect of Feodor Chin’s performance would you have changed?

He was ok, not sure if changing it would have helped. Maybe have Bill Nye read?

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

In the bathroom

thought provoking

In a lot of cases throughout the book, the author illustrate his point by citing examples of either supporting or contrary research. However, we made like to go into details into some of those examples, with leave the explanation feeling a bit esoteric.

Amazing

This book was like a Nova, Discovery, Science Channel marathon. I think my brain stretched a bit from all the information. I hope there is another book that takes off from where this one left off; but 10 [20] years later.

Okay, but outdated and stilted

Kaku’s books all overlap quite a bit. If you’re like me and read them in reverse order by release date, you’ll be a bit disappointed in this one. Many of the topics are redundant. The text is outdated, and the performance has a repetitive nature to the tempo. It’s not bad, but falls short of other Kaku works on Audible.

As a physics grad, I had some mi or frustrations with this book. Kaku definitely has his preference of theories and leaves out a lot of alternative, compelling ideas in favor of ideas he’s more closely involved with. He also plays it a bit loose with the language at times, and makes things sound more sensational than they are.

Inspired

Dr. Kaku isn't only a brilliant string theorist and well rounded communicator with a full breadth of knowledge, he is also inspirational and curious.
This book covers various sci-fantasies, such as force fields and time travel, and categorizes them into 3 different levels of 'impossibility' for our future.
He discusses force fields, invisibility, faster that light travel, E.T., and ultimately whether we will be able to escape the final end of this universe by bridging this universe to another and slipping away into a new, younger univese as this one succumbs to entropy or is torn apart as a result of the expansion of space itself.

He also touches on string theory, various current socioeconomic problems. He's well read, and without a doubt, he's the kind of guy you could easily sit and listen to for hours on end and not get bored.
Excellent book, fun, and certainly not difficult to understand.

A bit too light on details

The epilogue is the most interesting part to me. Perhaps I was looking for a more scientific book. This really is just kind of Deep Thoughts with some physics explanation thrown in. But without some background in physics it would be hard to follow.

So it's not scientific enough and too casual at the same time.

Lovely summary of future technology

Easy to understand the ideas. Kaku puts technology in theee categories: likely to happen soon, might happen sometime, or so far fetched this tech will take centuries to develop.

The Audible narration by Feodor Chin is okay. His voice is slightly hard to understand on my car stereo speakers. I wish for a different narrator. Maybe someone with more of a tenor or alto pitch. I really wish that Jim Dale, narrator of the Harry Potter audiobooks, would also narrate science books. Or Alan Rickman as narrator if only he were still alive. Or Jason Isaacs. Dr. Hap narrating science books on the brain (Michio Kaku also wrote a book on the mind) would be a perfect twist of fate after watching The OA.

Another great book by Michio Kaku

Would you listen to Physics of the Impossible again? Why?

This book is very interesting, and I found myself making a ton of bookmarks. I will probably listen at least twice more just to fully absorb the knowledge.