Book Reviewed: The Trouble with Gravity: Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet, by Richard Panek

Gravity: A tour of a heavy topic

Gravity is a fundamental force that creates physical reality we experience and become conscious of. Three major figures of science unlocked the mysteries gravity: Galileo, the first to take a close look at the process of free and restricted fall; Newton, originator of the concept of gravity as a universal force; and Einstein, who proposed that gravity is a curvature of the four-dimensional space-time continuum. But it goes further in quantum physics which describes spacetime in discrete quanta, i.e. in bits and pieces at the most fundamental quantum scale. In other words, it contrasts traditional wisdom that spacetime is continuous.

Gravity is still a cold case and we are not any closer to solving this, but it is leading into many new avenues about the cosmos. Detection of gravitational waves and black holes have been exciting in physics, and information is emerging as the key player in the operation of matter and energy in spacetime. It is the transformation of matter (nonliving) into a living material (life), and how forces of nature become essential for existence (physical reality).

If you are looking for a book to read about the recent advances in gravitation, then I would suggest looking elsewhere. The author does not focus on the concept of gravity to any significant extent that would generate interest. He reports a mishmash of news and physics ideas that looks like a smorgasbord than a navel discussion.