"From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas or the cooling of tea, to the unfolding of a thought in our minds and even the course of life itself, everything is governed by the four Laws of Thermodynamics. These laws specify the nature of 'energy' and 'temperature', and establish the arrow of time: why things change and why death must come." "Originally published as Four Laws that Drive the Universe, this topic is now brought into the Very Short Introduction...

Barrow presents an unforgettable tour of the strange and wonderful universes that modern physics posits might--just might--be out there.

Roger Penrose, one of the most accomplished scientists of our time, presents the only comprehensive and comprehensible account of the physics of the universe. From the very first attempts by the Greeks to grapple with the complexities of our known world to the latest application of infinity in physics, The Road to Reality carefully explores the movement of the smallest atomic particles and reaches into the vastness of intergalactic space. Here, Penrose...

Philosophers have argued about the nature and existence of free will since at least Plato. Today, many scientists and some scientifically minded philosophers are skeptical that it exists, especially when it is understood to require the ability to choose between alternative possibilities. If the laws of physics govern everything that happens in the world, they argue, then how can our choices be free? Believers in free will must be misled by habit,...