How to Build a Time Machine
by Paul Davies
The Penguin Press, £9.99, ISBN 0713995831
Like “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” with a bodice-ripping cover, this little book will not satisfy. Not only did I not learn HTBATM, I learned that it is not possible in the world as we know it (that is to say without our being able to harness antigravity, space warps, wormholes or other devices from Star Trek).
Although a hardback, the text is only 11 by 14 cm and the 136 pages are interspersed with 36 full-page illustrations which add little to the product. Most of them are sketches of famous scientists which appear to have been created by tracing a photograph with a thick felt pen. Where the illustrations are referred to in the text they are identified by page numbers, but the pages that have illustrations are not numbered. You get used to this after a while. Don’t expect any sex, maths, religion or UFOs and you won’t be disappointed. Although he is no Carl Sagan, Professor Davies’ reputation as a physicist is imperilled from time to time by such remarks as:
“CERN propels electrons at 99.999999999 per cent of the speed of light… so fast that it falls short of the speed of sound by a literal snail’s pace.” “Cylindrical surfaces have no intrinsic curvature.” (Don’t write me: I know what he meant and he should have said “right circular cylindrical surfaces”.) “…thus rescuing the cherished law of change conservation.” (I think he meant “charge conservation”.) “…the motion of two (billiard) balls after collision is completely determined by the initial speed and direction of the cue ball.” Clearly he doesn’t play billiards or pool or snooker. I also found irritating his quoting all very small numbers in the form “a billion trillion trillionth of a centimetre”.
Conclusion: science-popularisation-wise this book doesn’t cut the mustard.
