Spooky Action at a Distance

The Phenomenon That Reimagines Space and Time-and What It Means for Black Holes, the Big Bang, and Theories of Everything

By: George Musser

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

What is space? It isn't a question that most of us normally stop to ask. Space is the venue of physics; it's where things exist, where they move and take shape. Yet over the past few decades, physicists have discovered a phenomenon that operates outside the confines of space and time. The phenomenon - the ability of one particle to affect another instantly across the vastness of space - appears to be almost magical. Einstein grappled with this oddity and couldn't quite resolve it, describing it as "spooky action at a distance". But this strange occurrence has direct connections to black holes, particle collisions, and even the workings of gravity. If space isn't what we thought it was, then what is it?

In Spooky Action at a Distance, George Musser sets out to answer that question, offering a provocative exploration of nonlocality and a celebration of the scientists who are trying to understand it. Musser guides us on an epic journey of scientific discovery into the lives of experimental physicists observing particles acting in tandem, astronomers discovering galaxies that look statistically identical, and cosmologists hoping to unravel the paradoxes surrounding the big bang. Their conclusions challenge our understanding not only of space and time but of the origins of the universe - and their insights are spurring profound technological innovation and suggesting a new grand unified theory of physics.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2015 George Musser (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

First Class

I reccomend this book by George Musser to anyone with a spark of curiosity for science. I highly suggest Spooky Action at a Distance for the purpose of rereading as I have done multiple times, so it does have that much interesting depth of perception which pertains to physics world. I highly favor this good book.

awesomeness

Astonishingly great capitivating content . How deep is the rabbit hole? There is no spoon!

Not for beginners

I am a beginner. "This book is for people, who have at least basic knowledge in the field of quantum mechanics and general relativity and who want to learn what these theories means for space-time structure and its very existence, when they are combined together."
- Matúš Frisík

The Problems at the Edge of Physics.

What made the experience of listening to Spooky Action at a Distance the most enjoyable?

Just finished reading; "Spooky Action at a Distance" by George Musser, my favorite science book for 2015. It talks about the crazy problems at the edges, where science breaks down, and what the big boys and girls are working on to try and patch things together. Scary stuff actually, makes any eastern mysticism seem tame.

Who was your favorite character and why?

NA

Have you listened to any of William Hughes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Universe cast in Cantor's Dust.

Any additional comments?

The best book I have read since, Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality by Max Tegmark.

Mind boggling

Any additional comments?

An excellent book on a mind-boggling subject. The subject is so mind-boggling that I left the book more profoundly confused about the universe, non-locality, the big bang, and space than when I entered. But it isn't the author's fault. Musser does a wonderful job trying to explain these confounding concepts and theories, but they are ideas that require repeated application and slow digestion. This will definitely be a book I return to at least one more time in an attempt to shoehorn the mind-boggling into my brain. A great book on puzzling and huge ideas.

great but...

George musser is definitely a thoughtful author unfortunately a bit to much so for me every other sentence is a hard to grasp and many times misleading metaphor often he will launch into a metaphor describing some complex principle of space/time without the slightest hint that it is "just a metaphor" and not a continuation of the aforementioned laws and principles he is describing. I was confused many times throughout this book, I have a keen understanding of physics and the history of it yet this book seemed able to baffle me, not for its inaccuracies, but for it's authors seeming obsession with convoluted metaphors that seem even more complex and intricately dependant on fine minutiae than the metaphysics and physics statements being made. that said it is still a great read for those who enjoy listening to a wise man's rambling it reminds me a lot of "PLATO'S REPUBLIC" in the way arguments are made and fleshed out and that is exactly what this book is, a glimpse into George's thoughts, a kind of mental debate he holds within himself about what underpins our universe.

Mandatory reading for nonlocality

One of the best physics / philosophy of physics books I've read. The author does an excellent job describing an extremely difficult topic.

Mind expanding

A wonderful book which provides laymen with a peak into deep scientific thinking on space and time.

Space is NOT a place. Who knew?

Good book. I listen while I drive and this is a book that needs your attention. I would up skipping back often to stay with the ideas. Starts with a good historical perspective on locality, then works through many competing modern concepts. Much more than just a discussion of entanglement. He drifts a bit at time and sometimes overworks the metaphors, but that's probably unavoidable.

very inter

well the material is complicated but I like how the author draws parallels from past science to help explain why there is debate and what led up to the theory of quantum behavior.