The First Three Minutes
by Steven Weinberg · first published 1977
89% recommend11% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible, engaging popular account of early-universe cosmology that makes complex physics read like a compelling story; suits curious lay readers and anyone wanting a physics primer.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A little technical, but a brilliant account of how and why the universe is moving away from a centre, and the implications thereof.
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…Physics 2. The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman 3. Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics by Bruce Schumm 4. The Particle Odyssey by Frank Close 5. Weinberg's The First Three Minutes IMO someone who seriously wants to learn physics should read these books after they have gone through the typical undergraduate university books (classical, E&M, quantum, stat-mech, etc.) I would not…
on “So You Want to Learn Physics (2016)” ↗…to read and she’ll come to a different conclusion. Of course those books won’t give you a deep understanding of cosmology but that doesn’t mean they have to be completely wrong. Stephen Weinberg’s The First Three Minutes is my favorite example of pop-sci done right.
on “Carlo Rovelli on the ‘greatest remaining mystery’: The nature of time” ↗I just started re-reading "The First Three Minutes". Dr. Weinberg had a gift for taking incredibly complex and esoteric science and not only making it accessible, but making it a compelling story. Rest in Peace. Thank you for reigniting my curiosity…
on “Steven Weinberg has died” ↗Something Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll[1] Lost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder[2] The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg[3] Hyperspace - Michio Kaku[4] Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit[5] The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin[6] About Time - Paul Davies[7] Time Reborn - Lee Smolin[8] The Elegant Universe…
on “Ask HN: Recommended Books on Physics?” ↗…we're particularly unsure of. There's a very comprehensive theory of the evolution of the early universe, supported by all the evidence we have for quantum theory. I recommend Steven Weinberg's book The First Three Minutes if you're interested.
on “Physicists who want to ditch dark energy” ↗Have you read Weinberg's The First Three Minutes?
on “Why is light so fast?” ↗…- The Theoretical Minimum Susskind - Quantum Mechanics Wallace - Everything And More Weinberg - The First Three Minutes Wiener - God & Golem, Inc. TEXTS Aaronson - Quantum Computing with Democritus (but I don't have a version with me in the acknowledgements…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite physics sites, documentaries, books?” ↗…Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel Lost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg Hyperspace - Michio Kaku Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin About Time - Paul Davies Time Reborn - Lee Smolin The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene…
on “Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?” ↗The First Three Minutes is one of my favorite books. I keep go back to it.
on “Steven Weinberg has died” ↗> The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things which lifts human life a little above the level of farce and gives it some of the grace of tragedy. Steven Weinberg, The First Three Minutes
on “Steven Weinberg has died” ↗