5.0 out of 5 stars Much food for thought

M.M. · 31 July 2012

I wanted to write a review of this immensely readable little book, but as I contemplated putting fingers to keyboard, my mind suddenly went blank and I could think of nothing to write.And I am wondering if this is the dilemma the Universe found itself in at the point of its transformation from nothing to something.Mr Close does actually contradict himself in one or two places. On the one hand he says that the Big Bang created time and space (p143), while on the other hand he asserts that the Universe could have emerged out of the vacuum (p128).Actually, I am not so sure that physics and cosmology really yet fully understand how it all got going.If nothing else, a vacuum is a volume of space, but a volume of space that is enclosed inside a boundary, irrespective of whether energy or matter may or may not be present. If the Universe emerged out of the vacuum, then at the very least, space must already have existed.Take the cathode ray tube for example. This is the most common example of a vacuum in which electrons make their way from anode to cathode. This can only happen if there is a boundary - the tube. Without the tube, the vacuum could not exist. Furthermore, anything existing outside the boundary i.e. the rest of the Universe, can have no meaning for the electrons inside the tube.The importance and significance of boundaries were drummed into me as a pupil at school and a student at University, so it seems to me that in a discussion of vacuums, some discussion must be given to the nature of the boundary.At the moment of the Big Bang, was there any kind of boundary, either conceptual or real? Is it possible that prior to the Big Bang, all of existence was contained in a point of zero dimension that also contained all of space?Is it possible that all of space was wrapped inside this point of zero dimension in the same way that string theory talks about the wrapping of dimensions?One of the problems I have with the Big Bang as it is presented to us lay people, is in being able to conceptualise it in my mind. I can imagine a single point encompassing all of existence, but my mind's eye is forced to view it from a distance, so I cannot in actuality imagine a point of zero dimension without at the same creating the space that allows me to see it from a distance, even though it is all totally imaginary. Unless I view the point from inside it, but then I feel I would be getting nowhere.But then it occurs to me that we are not talking about just any old point of zero dimension. We are actually talking about THE definitive point of zero dimension of which there could only have been one; and not only that, in one form or other, you, me and everyone else was in there waiting for you, me and everyone else to become you, me and everyone else. Which quite frankly, I find implausible and impossible. Has physics really lost all sense of logic and rationality?But then I ask myself, how does one conceptualise holograms, or dreams, or consciousness, though I must confess to knowing next to nothing of the physics of holograms.Whilst being extremely informative and entertaining, Frank Close's little tome also provides much food for thought and gets you thinking about other strange and mystifying things such as - what is a virtual desktop? At its simplest, it's a little rectangle situated at the bottom right hand side of your computer monitor. Using your mouse, you can navigate within this little rectangle to switch between 2 or more real desktops.You might have a tough time trying to explain how a software engineer might design and program this type of application. It involves layers of virtuality, because the desktop is itself an illusion, yet is a good example of how something comes out of something else that is not actually nothing, but is in fact the manipulation of binary bit patterns in a disk of 32- or 64-bit words that in reality, is never empty of full, but whose available space only appears to be changing in size.

4.0 out of 5 stars You need at least A Level Physics to cope with this!

A.P. · 6 July 2025

Its very well written and clear up to page 120. The last 10% suddenly gets complicated with no analogies as if the author is in a rush to finish it. Nonetheless it's a good read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book - not too technical or in depth.

O. · 3 April 2015

Nice little book. Double check the size of this book as it is smaller than what you might call a conventional paper back and the type face slightly smaller. My eye sight is not "bad" but if you struggle to read smaller font sizes this might be a problemLanguage used is easy to understand for someone like me who reads this kind of thing out of interest but does not study it.

5.0 out of 5 stars highly readable explanation - but I will not spoil your enjoyment. Buy the book and read it for yourself

J.R.T. · 2 February 2015

A superb book if you are interested in the sub-atomic world and what it tells us about the universe as a whole(?). A question that has been posed by scientists since the ancient Greeks is 'What is is a vacuum? What is left when everything has been removed?' Professor Close gives a lucid, highly readable explanation - but I will not spoil your enjoyment. Buy the book and read it for yourself. It is very cheap and one of the best of this excellent series.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for what it is but does not cover the subject well

S. · 11 January 2010

If you are interested in a very Eurocentric predominantly physics-based technical approach that almost ignores any non-European thinking you might like this. The author, being a professor of physics, concentrates heavily on the history of discoveries in physics in relation to this topic. At the beginning he quotes a verse from Rig Veda and gives the wrong date for it showing how incapable he is outside of his own field (the creation hymn in Rig Veda is not from 1700 BC but much later). A smattering of Greek philosophy and then its off with the physics.If you have little knowledge of physics you might find his need to quote lots of formulae a bit offputting. His style varies drastically from simplistic to over-complex and is not exactly easy reading in places. The potted history of physics is interesting if that is what you want but it is far from the whole story with regards to the title. What about all the theology and philosophy from other countries regarding the status of nothing or the possibility of a vacuum or an absolute? However, given his blatant error with Rig Veda perhaps it is a good job he didn't try to cover anything outside of his field. But in this case I think the title should perhaps have been 'Exploring Nothing Through Physics' although it doesn't exactly sound catchy does it?

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent...

A.L.M. · 27 April 2016

I had the opportunity to attend a highly informative Lecture at Dartford Grammar School, a number of years ago, given by Frank Close. This little book manages to engage & deliver, covering a broad spectrum, paving the way for those who wish to pursue further.

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to Fathom

M.A.D. · 3 October 2011

Was originally written as a stand alone book called "The Void" which unfortunately means this isn't as lucid as some of the other "A Very Short Introduction" books I've read. There were large portions that went completely over my head as detailed explorations of particle physics took over and I found I did not have the requisite knowledge to understand what Close was writing about. Still what I did understood was very interesting, particularly about the emptiness of the atom and how there really isn't such a thing as empty space.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good short introduction for a start,

B. · 18 January 2018

Frank Close does a wonderful job for the non-physicist that I am in giving meaning to the idea of ' nothing'. I have not completed it yet - there is still a last chapter remaining and I relished it, The questions that I was asking myself before starting this book ultimately were stated there by the author himself.Some questions come to mind: can time be there without matter or stretching it further ,without energy?

Quite bright

D.1. · 13 August 2019

Some great quotes here sprinkled with insight.

"A Interesting & Challenging Read for Inquisitive Minds"

R.A.R.M. · 6 August 2013

"Nothing" - A Very Short Introduction by Frank Close, 2009. Oxford University Press, NY. ISBN 978-0-19-922586-6, SC 158 Pgs. in 6 7/8" x 4 3/8" format that includes 7 Pg. Index plus 4 pages with suggested readings. Inveiglements limited to several B/W illustrations.Author Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Oxford is a well-published author having written a half-dozen books on particle physics. He is also a fellow at Exeter College. Writing in easily read prose (for those familiar with particle physics) his book "Nothing" is an erudite expose of modern physics beginning with explanation of nothing, or a void. He begins with historical discussion of the vacuum or void (as noted in the Creation Hymn of Rig-Veda 1,700 years ago) & noting Thales had denied existence of No-thing 600 BC, i.e. that the universe could not originate from No-thing, discussing Empedocles concept of ur-matter (air, water, fire and earth) and the aphorism that "nature abhors a vacuum" was the accepted logic for 2,000 years; and concludes in discussing scientific experimental findings by von Guerick, Blaise, Pascal, Toricelli, Hooke and Boyle.Already by Chapter 2 the author weighs in with discussion of the atoms, electrons and quarks, his writer-interaction prose providing a brisk understanding of particle physics to those having appropriate backgrounds and being aggressively crisp when particle physics is discussed to the novice. For less knowledgeable readers, this book is a good introductory source book on atomic compositions, gravitation, space, time, motion and electromagnetic fields, quantum mechanics, uncertainty principle and by chapter 8, the Higgs vacuum.All in all, "Nothing" is a refreshing read on stimulating the mind to contemplate the known, unknown and help keep abreast and aware of the intense scientific efforts done world-wide which may help answer postulates surrounding the "big bang".finis

Book about physics, not philosophy

C.P. · 15 August 2023

I read nothing and I understand nothing

A classic.

A.C. · 6 November 2018

Nothing. But it explains everything. A book written by the god of physics. A beautiful book to understand about yourself.

flies over some really good questions, avoiding the answer

C.K. · 13 March 2017

I was hopeful to read the very same questions I have been thinking about for a long time now - what exactly is the fabric of space? What do we call a dimension, or the nature of time. Went through every paragraph with enthusiasm, only to notice that - like in any other book on the same subject - we only get a historical view of the evolution of thought around the matter, without adding any new insight...still the old view that our very space got created in the primordial soupe of potentiality - ... now in what medium does that primordial soup exists then, if not in space?