John Archibald Wheeler has been driven by his curiosity about the “laws on
which all else is built—deep happy mysteries, I like to call them”.
Inspired by the idea that “Everything Is Particles”, in 1952 he fell in love
with general relativity and gravitation (Everything Is Fields). Now he is “in
the grip of a new vision, that Everything Is Information” (see Editorial, p 3,
and “I is the law”, p 24). In Geons, Black Holes & Quantum Foam, written
with Kenneth Ford, he remembers his extraordinary life. He coined the terms
“black hole” and “quantum foam”, worked on fission, geons and gravity. His
collaborators are 20th-century physics: share a train ride with Fermi, a gossip
with Einstein, work with Bohr, Gödel and Penrose. An elegantly written,
enthralling account of the gravity man. Published by W. W. Norton,
$27.95, ISBN 0393046427.
More from 91av
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 91av articles
1
The secrets to keeping your brain sharp in old age
2
Our brains have their first thoughts surprisingly early in life
3
Ancient monument may have been an early Stonehenge prototype
4
No young women have died of cervical cancer in England for years
5
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
6
Autism may have two distinct subtypes that vary by brain activity
7
Autism and ADHD are on the rise due to widening diagnostic criteria
8
Walking shark found in Papua New Guinea is new to science
9
Has the answer to life's origins been hiding in our cells all along?
10
Think you have a good sense of humour? So do most people…