Advance Praise for Gravity's Arc
A beautifully written exposition of the still mysterious force that
holds our universe together--and the even more mysterious dark twin that
may blow it apart.
--Joshua Gilder, coauthor of Heavenly Intrigue
A lucid book as up-to-date as the effect of gravity on the bones of
astronauts.
--Denis Brian, author of The Unexpected Einstein
How did they do it?
How did one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived retard the study of
gravity for 2,000 years? How did a gluttonous tyrant with a gold nose
revolutionize our view of the solar system? How could an eccentric
professor shake the foundations of an entire belief system by dropping
two objects from a tower? How did a falling apple turn the thoughts of a
reclusive genius toward the moon? And how could a simple patent clerk
change our entire view of the universe by imagining himself riding on a
beam of light?
In Gravity's Arc, you'll discover how some of the most colorful,
eccentric, and brilliant people in history first locked, then unlocked
the door to understanding one of nature's most essential forces. You'll
find out why Aristotle's misguided conclusions about gravity became an
unassailable part of Christian dogma, how Galileo slowed down time to
determine how fast objects fall, and why Isaac Newton erased every
mention of one man's name from his magnum opus Principia. You'll also
figure out what Einstein meant when he insisted that space is curved,
whether there is really such a thing as antigravity, and why some
scientists think that the best way to get to outer space is by taking an
elevator.
