Book Review: The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces by Frank Wilczek
Review by Elizabeth Quill
By Science News
For a safari-like adventure into the world of physics, follow Wilczek’s
lead. Quirky but knowledgeable, he explores the essence of the matter
that makes up the universe — combining the enthusiasm of someone like
Jeff Corwin with the thoughtfulness of a David Attenborough.
“I invite you to expand your view of reality,” Wilczek writes. “I invite you to expand the way you think.”
Over
the past few decades, physicists’ ideas of reality have changed
dramatically. Matter is like light, and mass comes from energy, Wilczek
explains. He describes space as a dynamic “Grid” that hums as it
creates and destroys particles. And he renames the standard model of
particle physics the “Core” for his purposes, because, he says, it is
not as boring as the name “standard model” makes it sound.
Tracing
recent discoveries in particle physics, Wilczek explains why gravity is
weak, and he foreshadows a grand unification theory. (Though he’ll have
to wait longer than expected for any developments from the Large Hadron
Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator, near Geneva.)
Short
chapters, bullet points and repetition of major themes make for easy
reading, even as Wilczek skillfully sidesteps potential pitfalls. He
skips over and later returns to topics including the masses of
electrons and quarks and, of course, the unknowns of dark matter and
dark energy — so these difficult topics don’t interrupt his tale.
Wilczek
welcomes readers to join him on his journey, and his excitement makes
the trip interesting, even when the waters get murky. —Elizabeth Quill
Basic Books, 2008, 270 p., $26.95.
Editor’s
note: Frank Wilczek is on the board of trustees for the Society for
Science & the Public, which publishes Science News.