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

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A fascinating exploration of the science of the impossible—from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloaks—revealing to what extent such technologies might be achievable decades or millennia into the future.

One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technologies by categories—Class I, II, and III, depending on when they might be achieved, within the next century, millennia, or perhaps never. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains:
· How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers “downstream”
· How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars
· How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology
· Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one
Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes readers on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Irresistable Physics
I heard Kaku on the radio,years ago,and found him captivating.Physics of the Impossible is beguiling because of its subjects,such as Teleportation and Time Travel.This is far more interesting and exciting than Science Fiction.Maybe I can become invisible at will!
Rating: - One of my favorite books by Kaku
This book is a great read.Michio lays out topics of science fiction one by one, and explains how they will become (or are becoming) science fact.This book is packed with information and interesting speculation into the world of theoretical physics.
Rating: - Physics of the impossible great easy read.
This book was very interesting and easy to read. I still may have a little trouble with string theory but I understood the rest and it has a lot of good history of all the theory.
Rating: - Michio Kaku examines the latest perceptions of physical laws of the universe
From teleportation and time machines to force fields - are these going to be the new technologies of the future? Michio Kaku examines the latest perceptions of physical laws of the universe and the changes this understanding may bring in the near and distant future. Any who wonder why Star Trek's wonders aren't on the shelves NOW needs Physics of the Impossible: a light, involving reading for any general lending library.

Rating: - The Most Fun You Can Have with Physics If You Aren't a Physicist!
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." -- 1 John 4:1

If books about physics had been this entertaining when I was a child, I'm sure I would have become a theoretical physicist. Professor Michio Kaku begins with ancient beliefs about gods, moves on to science fiction, proceeds through theories proven false, and examines some of the most interesting questions and devices raised by ... Read More