Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Physics of the Impossible Complete Book Review

In Michio Kaku's Physics of the Impossible, Michio talks about the technology impossible to us because of certain barriers. He divides his chapters into 3 types of impossibilities. Class I is impossibilities are technologies that are impossible with this decade's technology, but that do work with the laws of physics. Class II impossibilities are impossible with our understanding of the universe, and will take thousands of years to fully master. Lastly he talks about Class III impossibilities which if possible, can change our current laws of physics, they may not necessarily take thousands of years, but rather just a few centuries. This is because they are simple but just need a little bit more understanding of physics, and the materials needed to construct them.
In his Class I impossibilities he talks about: Force Fields, Invisibility, Phasers and Death Stars, Teleportation, Telepathy, Psychokinesis, Robots, Extraterrestrials and UFOs, Starships, and Antimatter and Anti-Universes.
In Force Fields, he talks about the possibilities of using magnetism and plasma(state of matter found in lightning and fire) to form an invisible protective barrier, which in media is called a force field. He then talks about changing the light around you to make yourself invisible. Both chapters showed much detail and I could understand advanced physics, the way he described it.
In Phasers and Death Stars he talks about harnessing energy from light, photons, lasers, and fusion. While we can now harness energy from lasers, he raises a doubting question: with such technology could it be possible to destroy entire planets with just a press of a button? And in Teleportation he talks about transportation to different places by rearranging our atoms somewhere else. Through  number physics it should be able to record our bodies and their exact number of atoms. it could calculate enough to rearrange the atoms somewhere else.
Next to teleportation is the next best thing telepathy. With telepathy one could "read" someone's mind and outsmart them. Different energies could pickup brainwave patterns from one person and copy it onto your brain, allowing you to view it. The recent technology of MRI machines tries to achieve this very objective.
Similar to telepathy is psychokinesis. In telepathy your read someone's mind, but in psychokinesis you can create anything you think of. This is possible with a lot of technologies, but what happens when your subconscious creates your deepest darkest fears?
Robots is the title of one of the biggest chapters in the book. it talks about creating robots smarter than us, the problem that will create, and the problems it could solve. This chapter shows you that robots aren't the evil science-fiction villain you see in movies, books, and T.V. shows.
Next he talks about extraterrestrial life forms. He talks about the possibility of their existence, the possibility of us visiting them, or the possibility of ever talking to them.
In starships he talks about new and better technologies that will help upgrade your space shuttles for better, faster, and quality travel in outer space. The last chapter in Class I Impossibilities he talks about is antimatter and anti-universes. These are atoms and universes with similar properties except an opposite charge.
In Class II Impossibilities, he talks about the possibility of items and energies that can take man at a speed faster than light. He also talks about traveling in time, while also traveling to different dimensions in the process. The last thing he talks about is other dimensions, or parallel universes, exact replica's of our universes with a few changes only.
In Class III Impossibilities he talks only about 2 things. First he talks about machines that can collect energy, create energy, support itself and help nations, perpetual motion machines. Many people have thought it was impossible but maybe, he says there are a few ways to make this possible. Lastly he talks about seeing the future, precognition. This would work if you could travel back in time or track certain unique particles which are capable of traveling back and forth in time. All in all the book is amazing, and I have read the whole thing. I hope you read it because its action packed and full of adventure.

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