The Grip of Gravity
The Quest to Understand the Laws of Motion and Gravitation

This book tells the story of how we have arrived at our current understanding of the laws of motion and gravitation.

Prabhakar Gondhalekar (Author)

9780521018678, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 August 2005

372 pages, 42 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.1 x 2.3 cm, 0.54 kg

'This is a lively and entertaining history that follows the evolution of our scientific understanding against the background of the personalities involved and the political climates in which they lived … a book that is, perhaps unusually for a popular science book, both very readable and understandable. It should appeal to students, interested non-specialists, and experts in the field.' David Robertson, The Observatory

Gravity is the most enigmatic of all known forces of nature. It controls everything, from ocean tides to the expansion of the Universe. The search for the laws of motion and gravitation started over two thousand years ago. The reader is taken on an exciting journey through the subsequent centuries, identifying the blind alleys, the profound insights and flashes of inspiration that have punctuated this search. Despite the fantastic progress that has been made, the true nature of gravity is still a mystery and this book attempts to show how the current developments in string theory(s) (perhaps the 'Theory of Everything') may lead to a new and radical interpretation of gravity. This book describes the fundamental concepts, developments and experiments, both performed and planned, to increase our understanding of gravity and the natural phenomena in which gravity is the principal player.

Preface
1. Aristotle
2. Kepler
3. Galileo
4. Newton
5. Einstein
6. Dicke
7. Hubble and Eddington
8. Planck
Chronology
Notes
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Popular astronomy & space [WNX], Cosmology & the universe [PGK], Popular science [PDZ], History of science [PDX]