Martin Rees: Just Six Numbers

The way our universe is depends on six numbers, pretty much. Two of those numbers are related to basic forces, two fix the size and texture of the universe and the final two fix the properties of space. The numbers have certain values and even the smallest changes in those numbers would lead to universes very much unlike our own.

That is all rather curious and interesting. Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, uses these six numbers as a springboard to explain the current state of knowledge about our universe. This is a fairly short book, but it's packed full of knowledge. While Rees writes for the general public (and he writes well), understanding this book requires certain level of intellectual curiosity. The concepts he covers are so complicated, I think it would be rather hard to explain them with more clarity.

In any case, this is recommended reading for everyone interested in finding out how our universe came to be. [ Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe (Science Masters) at Amazon.co.uk ] [ Just Six Numbers at LibraryThing ]