The Physics of Star Trek

Summary

 * From the book jacket:
 * What warps when you're traveling at warp speed?
 * What's the difference between the holodeck and a hologram?
 * What happens when you get beamed up?
 * What is the difference between a wormhole and a black hole?
 * What is antimatter, and why does the Enterprise need it?
 * Are time loops really possible, and can I kill my grandmother before I am born?


 * Discover the answers to these and many other fascinating questions as a renowned physicist and dedicated Trekker explores The Physics of Star Trek.


 * Featuring a section on the top ten physics bloopers and blunders in Star Trek as selected by -winning physicists and other devout Trekkers!

Contents

 * Foreword by Stephen Hawking
 * Preface

Section One

 * A Cosmic Poker Game: In which the physics of inertial dampers and tractor beams paves the way for time travel, warp speed, deflector shields, wormholes, and other space-time oddities.


 * Newton Antes
 * Einstein Raises
 * Hawking Shows His Hand
 * Data Ends the Game

Section Two

 * Matter, Matter Everywhere: In which the reader explores transporter beams, warp drives, dilithium crystals, matter-antimatter engines, and the holodeck.


 * Atoms or Bits
 * The Most Bang for Your Buck
 * Holodecks and Holograms

Section Three

 * The Invisible Universe, or Things That Go Bump in the Night: In which we speak of things that may exist but are not yet seen – extraterrestrial life, multiple dimensions, and an exotic zoo of other physics possibilities and impossibilities.


 * The Search for Spock
 * The Menagerie of Possibilities
 * Impossibilities: The Undiscoverable Country


 * Epilogue
 * Notes
 * Acknowledgments
 * Index