BKTTEOTU.RVW   990306

"Towards the Edge of the Universe", Stuart Clark, 1997, 0-471-96249-X
%A   Stuart Clark sclark@star.herts.ac.uk
%C   5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON   M9B 6H8
%D   1997
%G   0-471-96249-X
%I   John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
%O   416-236-4433 fax: 416-236-4448 rlangloi@wiley.com
%P   209 p.
%T   "Towards the Edge of the Universe: A Review of Modern Cosmology"

The preface seems to indicate that this book is aimed at both the
student and the amateur.  The topic is cosmology, the search for the
origin, and description of the type, of the universe in which we live.

Chapter one gives us a cast of characters: the population of the
universe.  There is, of course, our solar system with the sun, other
suns, galaxies, active galaxies, and even larger structures.  The
electromagnetic spectrum is both tool and field of study for
cosmology, and is joined as a vehicle, in chapter two, by detectors to
observe both the largest and smallest structures in the universe. 
What we can see, and how to interpret it, is admirably covered in
chapter three.  Chapter four talks very clearly about the progression
from the first fraction of a second up to the first few millennia
after the Big Bang, but is much weaker in explaining the concept of
the curvature of the cosmos.  The means of determining distance, and
therefore time, is lucidly discussed in chapter five.  Active
galaxies, in chapter six, provide us with both opportunities and
problems in understanding space and time.  The growth and evolution of
galaxies, clusters, and larger structures is examined in chapter
seven, as we start to delve into less established and more speculative
areas.  The cosmic background radiation is almost truly the edge of
the universe, and Clark presents us with the very tenuous knowledge we
have about it in chapter eight.  Chapter nine finishes off with not
only the fate of the universe, but some alternative models.

At its best, the work is readable, engaging, and clear. 
Unfortunately, it isn't consistent all the way through.  The difficult
bits appear to lie in the far reaches of theory and modelling, with
the topics of quantum physics and the curvature of spacetime getting
fairly terse treatment.  Supporting an unhappy stereotype, the
appearance of mathematical equations tends to indicate that the
tutelary material is going downhill.  On the other hand, students may
find that the introduction is enough to lead them into the math they
are going to have to deal with anyway.

Overall, however, the book does provide a fascinating account of this,
the "farthest out" of all fields of study.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1999   BKTTEOTU.RVW   990306