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'''''Physics of the Impossible''': A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel'' is a 2008 book by [[physics|physicist]] [[Michio Kaku]].  
'''''Physics of the Impossible''': A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel'' is a 2008 book by [[physics|physicist]] [[Michio Kaku]].  


Kaku, who has a [[PhD.]] in [[theoretical physics]], writes that 150 years ago technological advances, that we take for granted today, were declared impossible.  [[Lord Kelvin|William Thomson Kelvin]] (1824 – 1907) , a [[mathematical physicist]] and engineer, was a leader in [[History of science and technology| science]],  on the cutting edge of physics in its modern form, and  he is known for developing the [[Kelvin scale]] of absolute temperature measurement. He said publicly that “heavier than air” mechanisms were impossible. “He thought[[ X-rays]] were a hoax, and that [[radio]] had no future”  [[Ernest Rutherford]] (1871 – 1937) is known for discovering the structure of the [[atom]] and was able to declare the existence of the atom. He thought the atom bomb was  impossible “comparing it to moonshine.” Televisions, computers, and the [[internet]] would seem incredibly fanstastic to the turn of the 20th century science and culture. [[Black holes]] were science fiction and even [[Einstein]] showed that black holes could not exist. At the end of the [[nineteenth century]], science had determined that it was impossible for Age of the Earththe earth to be billions of years old. Even in the 1920’s and 1930’s Robert Goddard was scoffed at because it was believed that rockets would never be able to go into space. <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii </ref>
Kaku, who has a [[PhD.]] in [[theoretical physics]], writes that 150 years ago technological advances, that we take for granted today, were declared impossible.  [[Lord Kelvin|William Thomson Kelvin]] (1824 – 1907) , a [[mathematical physicist]] and inventor of the [[Kelvin scale]]said publicly that “heavier than air” machines were impossible. “He thought[[ X-rays]] were a hoax, and that [[radio]] had no future.”<ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii</ref>
[[Ernest Rutherford]] (1871 – 1937), a famous physicist who experimentally described the atom, thought the atom bomb was  impossible and he compared it to moonshine. Televisions, computers, and the [[internet]] would seem incredibly fanstastic to the people of  the turn of the 20th century. [[Black holes]] were considered science fiction and even [[Einstein]] showed that black holes could not exist. 19th century science had determined that it was impossible for [[Age of the Earth|the earth to be billions of years old]]. Even in the 1920’s and 1930’s [[Robert Goddard]] was scoffed at because it was believed that rockets would never be able to [[Space exploration|go into space]]. <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii </ref>
{{Infobox Book  
{{Infobox Book  
| name          = Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
| name          = Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
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Such advances were considered impossible because science and society had not reached the understanding that we have today; the basic laws of physics and science were not understood as they are understood today. Kaku states that “as a physicist he learned that the impossible is often a relative term.” So, he asks the questions – isn’t it possible to think that we might build space ships that can travel distances of light years, or think that we might teleport ourselves from one place to the other? <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii</ref>
Such advances were considered impossible because science and society had not reached the understanding that we have today; the basic laws of physics and science were not understood as they are understood today. Kaku states that “as a physicist he learned that the impossible is often a relative term.” So, he asks the questions – isn’t it possible to think that we might build space ships that can travel distances of light years, or think that we might teleport ourselves from one place to the other? <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii</ref>


Kaku writes that since scientists understand the basic laws of physics today they are able to percieve or imagine a basic outline of future technologies that might work. "Physicist today understand the basic laws extending over a staggering forty three orders of magnitude, from the interior of the proton out to the expanding universe." He goes on to say that physicists can discern between future technologies that are merely improbably and those technologies that are truly impossible. He uses a system of Class I, Class II, and Class III to classify those science-fictional future technologies that are believed to be impossible today:
Kaku writes that since scientists understand the basic laws of [[physics]] today they are able to percieve or imagine a basic outline of [[Futurology|future technologies]] that might work. Kaku writes: "Physicist today understand the basic laws [of physics] extending over a staggering forty three orders of magnitude, from the interior of the proton out to the expanding universe." <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii </ref> 
He goes on to say that physicists can discern between future technologies that are merely improbable and those technologies that are truly impossible. He uses a system of Class I, Class II, and Class III to classify these science-fictional future technologies that are believed to be impossible today:
*Class I Impossibilities “technologies that are impossible today, but that do not violate the known laws of physics. So they might be possible in this century or the next, in modified form.”  <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii </ref>  
*Class I Impossibilities “technologies that are impossible today, but that do not violate the known laws of physics. So they might be possible in this century or the next, in modified form.”  <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii </ref>  
*Class II Impossibilities “technologies that sit at the very edge of our understanding of the physical world. They might be realized on a scale of millennia to millions of years in the future" <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii </ref>
*Class II Impossibilities “technologies that sit at the very edge of our understanding of the physical world. They might be realized on a scale of millennia to millions of years in the future" <ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii </ref>
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Each chapter clearly states the technology mentioned and how it might become a reality, although chapters become somewhat more general towards the end of the book due to lack of research. Some of the technologies mentioned are explained as per a slightly altered form, which remains as true to the original concept as possible while remaining practical. Kaku concludes  his book with a short epilogue detailing the newest frontiers in physics and how there is still much more to be learned about physics and our universe.<ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008.</ref>
Each chapter clearly states the technology mentioned and how it might become a reality, although chapters become somewhat more general towards the end of the book due to lack of research. Some of the technologies mentioned are explained as per a slightly altered form, which remains as true to the original concept as possible while remaining practical. Kaku concludes  his book with a short epilogue detailing the newest frontiers in physics and how there is still much more to be learned about physics and our universe.<ref> Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008.</ref>
*Preface
*Preface
'''Part I: Class I Impossibilities'''
'''Part I: Class I Impossibilities'''<ref>Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages 1 to 194</ref>
*Chapter 1: Force Fields <ref>Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages 1 to 194</ref>
*Chapter 1: Force Fields
*Chapter 2: Invisibility
*Chapter 2: Invisibility  
*Chapter 3: Phasers and Death Stars
*Chapter 3: Phasers and Death Stars
*Chapter 4: Teleportation
*Chapter 4: Teleportation

Revision as of 03:36, 29 May 2009

 This article may not meet the notability guideline for books. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged or deleted. (August 2008)


Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel is a 2008 book by physicist Michio Kaku.

Kaku, who has a PhD. in theoretical physics, writes that 150 years ago technological advances, that we take for granted today, were declared impossible. William Thomson Kelvin (1824 – 1907) , a mathematical physicist and inventor of the Kelvin scalesaid publicly that “heavier than air” machines were impossible. “He thoughtX-rays were a hoax, and that radio had no future.”[1] Ernest Rutherford (1871 – 1937), a famous physicist who experimentally described the atom, thought the atom bomb was impossible and he compared it to moonshine. Televisions, computers, and the internet would seem incredibly fanstastic to the people of the turn of the 20th century. Black holes were considered science fiction and even Einstein showed that black holes could not exist. 19th century science had determined that it was impossible for the earth to be billions of years old. Even in the 1920’s and 1930’s Robert Goddard was scoffed at because it was believed that rockets would never be able to go into space. [2] Template:Infobox Book

Such advances were considered impossible because science and society had not reached the understanding that we have today; the basic laws of physics and science were not understood as they are understood today. Kaku states that “as a physicist he learned that the impossible is often a relative term.” So, he asks the questions – isn’t it possible to think that we might build space ships that can travel distances of light years, or think that we might teleport ourselves from one place to the other? [3]

Kaku writes that since scientists understand the basic laws of physics today they are able to percieve or imagine a basic outline of future technologies that might work. Kaku writes: "Physicist today understand the basic laws [of physics] extending over a staggering forty three orders of magnitude, from the interior of the proton out to the expanding universe." [4] He goes on to say that physicists can discern between future technologies that are merely improbable and those technologies that are truly impossible. He uses a system of Class I, Class II, and Class III to classify these science-fictional future technologies that are believed to be impossible today:

  • Class I Impossibilities “technologies that are impossible today, but that do not violate the known laws of physics. So they might be possible in this century or the next, in modified form.” [5]
  • Class II Impossibilities “technologies that sit at the very edge of our understanding of the physical world. They might be realized on a scale of millennia to millions of years in the future" [6]
  • Class III Impossibilities “technologies that violate the known laws of physics. Surprisingly, there are very few such impossible technologies. If they do turn out to be possible, they would represent a fundamental shift in our understanding of physics” [7]

Contents

Each chapter clearly states the technology mentioned and how it might become a reality, although chapters become somewhat more general towards the end of the book due to lack of research. Some of the technologies mentioned are explained as per a slightly altered form, which remains as true to the original concept as possible while remaining practical. Kaku concludes his book with a short epilogue detailing the newest frontiers in physics and how there is still much more to be learned about physics and our universe.[8]

  • Preface

Part I: Class I Impossibilities[9]

  • Chapter 1: Force Fields
  • Chapter 2: Invisibility
  • Chapter 3: Phasers and Death Stars
  • Chapter 4: Teleportation
  • Chpater 5: Telepathy
  • Chapter 6: Psychokinesis
  • Chapter 7: Robots
  • Chapter 8: Extraterrestrials
  • Chapter 9: Starships
  • Chapter 10: Antimatter and Anti-Universes

Part II Class II Impossibilities

  • Chapter 11: Faster than Light[10]
  • Chapter 12: Time Travel
  • Chapter 13: Parallel Universes

Part III: Class III Impossibilities

  • Chapter 14: Perpetual Motion Machines[11]
  • Chapter 15: Precognition
  • Epilogue:The Future of the Impossible[12]
  • Notes
  • Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii
  2. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii
  3. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii
  4. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii
  5. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii
  6. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii
  7. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii
  8. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008.
  9. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages 1 to 194
  10. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. pages 195 to 255
  11. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. pages 256 to 283
  12. ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. pages 2824 to 303
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