We Have No Idea: A Guide to the Unknown Universe

This is the most readable and enjoyable book on scientific matters that I’ve ever read, and I’m a 79-year-old engineer, so I’ve read a lot. The author doesn’t assume that the reader knows much about science, but he doesn’t talk down to the reader, either. He uses folksy examples and humor to make his points effective and memorable. I’d recommend it for anyone in the ten-to-eighty age group who has an interest in the frontiers of science. Grab a soda and cookies and enjoy.

This book reminds me of grandma's chocolate cupcakes. Fun to consume, made with love, and secretly filled with vegetables. Anyone can write obtuse technical papers on their chosen field. A few truly accomplished people can explain their subject in small words. But it takes deep understanding, a talent for writing and a heaping portion of wisdom to be able to simultaneously explain your topic in small words, maintain a witty pace, and wink at the wonderful hubris of the human race at the same time. My favorite things I hesitate to mention, because nobody ever wants to eat the cupcakes if they are told about the vegetables first. But I do love the way they introduce the vocabulary and basic concepts of physics in an extraordinarily effective way. One barely even notices the learning, yet somehow each time they build on a previous concept the recall feels effortless. Not once, in this remarkable book did I say, "Wait, what?" and have to go backwards to re-read something. Like magic, they would say "Remember x?" and I would. But most of all, this book was fun. I own a sum total of three physical printed books (excluding textbooks - may Pearson Inc rot in eternal damnation for their unholy war on trees and pocketbooks), and this one earned it's place in my tiny bookshelf with it's humor.

I began reading "We Have No Idea" as an antidote to a popular exposition on the big bang that's so expansive about what we know that you easily think we are about to know everything. It's a very entertaining read with drawings and jokes by Jorge Cham keeping it light and text by a particle physicist, Daniel Whiteson. I found it also gets expansive in the opposite direction since Whiteson gets into "why" questions that shouldn't be a subject for physical investigation. Such questions bring up notions of goals or purpose which introduces teleology. It still makes for a good read.

I won't try to summarize anything in the book here - read it to find out, or look at other's summaries. My review: It is rare when I feel compelled to write a review for a book that I'm reading WHILE I'M STILL READING IT. Yes, this such a book. I heard about this book on NPR just before Christmas 2017, as I was about to enter my local library. I found the book on the "New Non-Fiction" shelf and immediately began reading it. Four weeks later (last Friday), I had to return the book because another library patron had requested it. So I bought the book here on Amazon, and it arrived today, only three days later: YAY. Last night, anticipating the arrival of the book, I ordered a second copy for my friend, who always talks about "black holes" (which I learned is not a good term to describe it - yes, in this book). It has been much slower to read this book than I thought it would, because I find myself constantly putting it down to ponder what I just read. And also to look up the footnotes in Wikipedia and Google. Remember (for you old timers) when you used to refer to a dictionary for a definition or spelling of a word, and you would get lost reading the dictionary? That is happening to me again. When I research something in this book, I find myself getting more curious by the minute, and it takes me a long time to get back to the book. This process is taking longer and longer the more I read. That is not a complaint, but it is a fact. I'm only 60% through the book and I've already found that it helps to go back and read an early chapter to brush up on the terms and concepts because some of the ideas are unusual and can be challenging to accept. That being said, if one were to "just read the words", one could quickly finish it since it is only about 350 pages long. So don't worry, if you think this book is anything like a regular text book! That is very far from the truth. The pair who wrote this book, a comedian and a scientist, do an excellent job of keeping one's interest. There are frequent one liners and cute drawings on almost every other page. Ok, back to the book, and to the profound discoveries that I did not know human kind had made AND BEYOND THAT to the concepts and information that humans have yet to figure out, which as it turns out (spoiler alert) is still about 95% of the universe.

I've read many books on cosmology and physics aimed at lay audiences, but I have never found such clarity and useful information as in this book. It conveys the key points with brilliant clarity and a light tone. The sole downside is the far too frequent attempts at humour, but it's not a big deal at all and it does not interfere with my 5 star rating.

I preordered this book when I saw it on phdcomics, expecting some simple but fun explanations about the universe. I got what I expected and much more. I thought this was going to cover some advance physics in a really simple way, but the comics would make up for it. Instead, I got simple explanations mixed with really in depth stuff. For example, I wasn't expecting to see "MeV/c^2" anywhere in this book, but there it was. And just below it, there was a really simple and funny explanation of what that weird unit means. Awesome book, I haven't finished it yet, but that's because whenever I open it I think "I should be writing". Not that I finally get to it, but I don't enjoy the guilt.

Got this bigger paperback UK edition. Solid print and paper. Love the comic illustration.

In 17 Kapiteln stellen die beiden Autoren in groben Zügen und anhand lustiger Beispiele den aktuellen Stand der Forschung dar, um dann hervorzuheben, welche Fragen derzeit noch nicht beantwortet werden können. Es werden einige bestehende Theorien und mögliche Antworten aufgeführt. Zudem wird ein Ausblick darauf gegeben, welche Konsequenzen die verschiedenen möglichen Antworten für uns haben könnten und wie wir diese Theorien vielleicht überprüfen können. We Have no Idea ist ein grandioses Buch, bei dem mir das Lesen sehr viel Spaß gemacht hat. Es war faszinierend zu erfahren, auf was für Fragen wir noch keine Antworten kennen. Was ist zum Beispiel der Weltraum? Ist er Etwas oder ist er Nichts? Was ist Zeit? Wie weit könnten die fundamentalen Teilchen noch teilbar sein? Was ist Dunkle Materie und Dunkle Energie? Die Liste der im Buch behandelten Themen ist umfangreich, die Erklärungen sind jedoch einfach und verständlich. Die Autoren kommen dabei ganz ohne Formeln aus und fordern lediglich die Vorstellungskräfte ihrer Leser heraus. Der Ton des Buches ist immer sehr locker und ist von vielen Wortspielen und graphischen Witzen durchsäht. In den Kapiteln gibt es keine Seite ohne mindestens eine begleitende Illustration von Jorge Cham. Für den physikbegeisterten Leser bietet We Have no Idea die perfekte Kombination aus aktuellen Informationen und jeder Menge Humor.

Terriblemente ameno y divertido, este libro es un ejemplo de lo que significa hacer divulgación de la física y, más aún, de la física de frontera a través de todos los recursos discursivos posibles: un lenguaje claro, un conocimiento profundo de los temas que se tratan, infografías, cómic's y un gran, pero gran sentido del humor. Enseño física en una preparatoria bicultural y he usado varios capítulos de este libro como motivación para la física "académica" (o "en serio", como la llaman algunos de mis colegas.) En todos los casos, los estudiantes han quedado encantados con el resultado y con mejor disposición para el aprendizaje. Recomiendo este libro al público en general, pero más aún a aquellos que recuerdan vagamente sus clases de física de la secundaria o la preparatoria. Inclusive si tienes una licenciatura o un posgrado en ciencias duras, créeme, hallarás algo que no sabías... Y te divertirás.