Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

As he did in "Visions," "Hyperspace," and "Beyond Einstein," Professor Michio Kaku has again penned a gem. Eminently readable, and as always packed full of related facts, this logically guided but wide-eyed romp across the terrain of the impossible, near-impossible and the far-fetched impossible, contains a veritable boutique of novel and leading-edge ideas. But that is not all. He also explains the history and the science involved and why they will work in the short, medium, or long term, or not at all. The book is conveniently divided into three equally impressive sections: Section one deals with what the author calls class I impossibilities. These include technologies that are impossible today, but since they do not violate any of the known laws of physics, could become possible in the short term. Included in this family are teleportation, antimatter engines, certain forms of telepathy, psychokinesis, and invisibility. Section II deals with Class II Impossibilities. This section deals with technologies that sit at the very edge of what we know: things such as time machines, and time travel, including through wormholes. Finally, Section III deals with Class III or long-term impossibilities. In this group are technologies that DO violate the known laws of physics, and thus would require fundamental shifts in our understanding of physics for them to become possible. Included in this group are precognition and perpetual motion machines. What is most striking about the guarded speculation and related tales in the book is how relative impossibility really is, and how so many of the technologies thought to be impossible in the past have actually not only become "possible," but exists as useful conveniences today. Professor Kaku, in addition to being a superb Scientist, is also a good storyteller. This a deliciously fine intellectual feast and quick read. Five Stars.

I've been a big fan of Dr. Kaku since I first saw him on The Science Channel years ago, but this is the first book of his I've read. In "The Physics of the Impossible," Michio Kaku explores the very subjects that fuels the imagination of those who love science fiction because of the possibilities it raises. Is Time Travel possible? What about Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Light Sabers? Could one really build a Death Star? One of the great things about Dr. Kaku's approach is that he does not talk down to the lay person, but he writes just as he speaks, with a simple eloquence that makes these complex concepts accessible to the non-Physicist mind. And it is always clear just how much passion Dr. Kaku has for his work, and he easily passes that on to his audience through his words. Another great thing about this book is that it's not only an education on the concepts of such things as String Theory and so much more, it's also an exploration of the history behind moderm Physics, dating back to the days of Isaac Newton and beyond. I learned so much about the triumphs, and even more surprising, the tragedies befalling many of the pioneers of modern science merely because they were people with concepts far ahead of their times. I have to say that if you are a young physicist in the making, an older person who is simply fascinated in the subject of Science, a Science Fiction writer looking for deeper understanding of these subjects to inspire you in your writing, or just someone wanting to get better insight into the mysteries behind the nature of the universe, then this is definitely the book for you. - Gregory Bernard Banks, author, reader, reviewer

Michio Kaku's Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, force Fields, Teleportation, and time Travel is just the right book at the right time. In fact, Michio Kaku's sytle reminds me just a bit like Carl Sagan in that he tries to make scientifically difficult topic easy to understand. Kaku's mission here is to spread knowledge and that he does very well. There are other books similar to Physics of the Impossible. Some have been mentioned by other reviewers. I'd like to mention The Science of Star Wars by Jeanne Cavelus and The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss and Stephen Hawking. Like Physics of the Impossible, both of these works attempt to apply hard scientific facts-of-life to popular ideas in modern fiction. What Kaku does is to organize his ideas into classes of impossibility and here lies an important element of this book. Michio Kaku is a born communicator which is why he is so often seen on television and why his books are so popular. He is at his best, in my opinion, in Physics of the Impossible. Well written by an author that knows his material and wants to communicate his ideas, the book is sure to please and inform and stimulate the imagination. I highly recommend Physics of the Impossible. Peace to all.

I think the biggest reason some people reject evolution is a lack of imagination. It's difficult for humans to picture the vast amount of time it takes for organisms to evolve. To speculate on the many mysteries of science takes a vivid imagination. Fortunately, author Michio Kaku has one. He brings a bright-eyed, gee-whiz sense of wonder to his subject, and his writing makes it contagious. Kaku's passion is the impossible, and in this book he explores different kinds of impossibilities. Class I ideas -- -- force fields, invisibility, phasers and death stars, teleportation, telepathy, psychokinesis, robots, extraterrestrials and UFOs, starships, antimatter and anti-universes -- could come true within a hundred years. Class II impossibilities, such as travel faster than light, time travel and parallel universes, may be possible in the next millennium. Class III ideas, like perpetual motion machines and precognition, may never be possible, given the underlying science. As Kaku explores his subjects, he uses references anyone can understand: Star Trek, Back to the Future, The Wizard of Oz, Flash Gordon, Men in Black. The result is an imminently readable physics primer. I hesitated to use the phrase "physics primer" in that last paragraph, because it might scare off people who would actually find this book fascinating. The truth is, this is nothing like that dry science book you remember from school. It entertains, educates and inspires.