The Biggest Ideas in the Universe

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion is a nonfiction book by American theoretical physicist Sean M. Carroll. The book, his sixth, was initially released on 20 September 2022 by Dutton.

Reception
Julia M. Klein of Johns Hopkins Magazine wrote, "There's nothing small about Johns Hopkins physicist Sean Carroll's latest undertaking. The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion is the first volume in an ambitious trilogy that seeks to explain physics to a popular audience—one willing to grapple with the basics of calculus and other mathematical underpinnings of the field. This book focuses on classical mechanics, including Einstein's theory of relativity..." Kirkus Reviews commented, "The author is at his best with familiar concepts such as space. Once considered an empty container for the universe, it turns out to be a turbulent phenomenon with “a life of its own.” Time is similar to space; it's part of how we locate ourselves, and we can measure it. But it's different because it seems to flow, invariably from the past to the future—although no law forbids the opposite. Gravity, energy, relativity, and the life of stars receive Carroll's enthusiastic attention, much as they did in such previous books as From Eternity to Here and Something Deeply Hidden. Despite the author's claims, however, some of the math will flummox readers. No-nonsense, not-dumbed-down explanations of basic laws of the universe that reward close attention."