The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

Space, Time, and Motion

By: Sean Carroll

Narrated by: Sean Carroll

"A porthole into another world."
—Scientific American

The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll, with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality.

Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe but those insights come in the form of equations that often look like gobbledygook. Sean Carroll shows that they are really like meaningful poems that can help us fly over sierras to discover a miraculous multidimensional landscape alive with radiant giants, warped space-time, and bewilderingly powerful forces. High school calculus is itself a centuries-old marvel as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa. And it may come as a surprise the extent to which all our most cutting-edge ideas about black holes are built on the math calculus enables.

No one else could so smoothly guide readers toward grasping the very equation Einstein used to describe his theory of general relativity. In the tradition of the legendary Richard Feynman lectures presented sixty years ago, this book is an inspiring, dazzling introduction to a way of seeing that will resonate across cultural and generational boundaries for many years to come.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF with equations and visual elements from the book.

Well put together

It was well put together with interesting data. Too much math and at times felt like I was in school under pressure during a math quiz

Works as audiobook

Very easy to learn complex topics, even as an audiobook. Sean Carroll is a masterful teacher!

Mentally Stimulating

I love the progression Sean has made in the last 20 years. From the arrow of time, to quintessence and now the world's foremost authority on the many worlds interpretation of quantum physics. It has been a wild ride. I feel like this set of books will be the culmination of a lifetime of genius.

Although Sean has touched on all of this material before, for the first time ever we get a conceptual understanding of the math. It's like a journey into history's greatest minds from their perspectives. Audible says I've spent a solid 2 months of my life 🎧 to The Big Picture, Something Deeply Hidden and The Great Courses. All time well spent. For even more, be sure to check out his podcast, Mindscape.

If your interested in how things really work on a fundamental level Sean is the greatest teacher alive. On par with Feynman and Wheeler. You won't be disappointed in this purchase. Just push play and let Sean's characteristic voice take you on an epic adventure from the fundamentals of physics all the way out the the unexplored fringes of nature. Sean is a true poetic naturalist.

Reminds me of the Feynman lectures

This book is like letting Sean read a physics text book at you. So, my idea of a Friday night. The target audience is people who want to go beyond most popular physics books without actually picking up a textbook. Niche, but here I am.

It's okay

Man, did this book make me feel out of the loop. I'm pretty familiar with all the concepts discussed in the book yet the way the author discussed it was largely above my head. I guess I have found my limits in understanding based on my current level of education on these topics. The book inspires me to want to go back to school to dive deep into these concepts and better understand them. Unfortunately that is what the author claims he's going to do with this book which is wholly false. In that regard, this book is not for the general public, but more for people who took physics in high school or college and need a refresher or a deeper dive. Definitely not an intro or low-level intermediate concept book like the author claims at the beginning. I would not recommend this book to most people.