On Time
The Physics That Makes the Universe Tick
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Princeton University Press
Published:1st Sep '26
Should be back in stock very soon
From quantum physicist, New York Times bestselling author, and BBC host Jim Al-Khalili, essential insights into the meaning and fundamental nature of time
While we have come a long way toward deciphering the laws of the universe, many physicists still regard time to be one of the greatest unsolved mysteries. On Time provides answers to the questions about time that philosophers and scientists have been asking for millennia, such as whether it has a beginning and an end, why it only points toward the future and not the past, whether it can be stretched and squeezed or even reversed, and whether it is even real.
In this mind-altering book, Jim Al-Khalili tackles the enduring problems of time head-on, carefully examining them across the three central pillars of physics—quantum mechanics, general relativity, and thermodynamics. He shows how, in each domain, time can be understood differently: as a coordinate or label, as an inseparable dimension of space-time, or as a direction or “arrow.” He explains why it can be difficult to reconcile these different perspectives and describes how theorists at the frontiers of physics are attempting to do just that. Al-Khalili makes the persuasive case that time is real, not illusory, and that a master arrow of time is not merely a trick of our senses but is rather a fundamental feature of reality that was baked into the structure of our universe from the very beginning.
Sharing fresh insights into some of the most complex and profound questions in science, On Time will forever change the way you think about the passage of time and your place within it.
"It is clear that Al-Khalili is a first-rate communicator; that he “spent many a night on the edge of sleep . . . [inventing] fresh analogies and thought experiments”; that he cares deeply that readers should be as awed as he is. Many will better understand — and therefore enjoy — physics after reading his book."---Dylan Neri, Financial Times
"The triumph of Al-Khalili’s book is that it proves you can scrutinise the most complex parts of the universe without removing the colour, excitement and possibility from human life."---Xavier Greenwood, The Observer
"Al-Khalili is known as a brilliant explainer of science. . . . This is heady stuff, but Al-Khalili’s characterisation is one of the clearest I have read. . . . Delightfully, Al-Khalili also includes what he describes as a “bonus chapter” . . . that asks whether time travel is possible . . . He executes this skilfully, treading the line between having fun with this wild topic and staying true to himself as a serious physicist."---Joshua Howgego, New Scientist
"Unless advanced physics is your thing (I'm betting not) then I'm probably right to say that everything you think you know about time is wrong. Until now, me too! But a book published this week - On Time by physicist Jim Al-Khalili – will make your head spin faster than the hands of a watch with a dodgy mainspring that's gone into overdrive."---Richard Madeley, Daily Express
"Sharing fresh insights into some of the most complex and profound questions in science, On Time will forever change the way you think about the passage of time and your place within it."---Simon Cocking, Irish Tech News
"Al-Khalili takes us through mind-bending subject with panache, making what could be a dense and difficult topic approachable and engaging."---Brian Clegg, Popular Science
ISBN: 9780691267036
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
360 pages