Audio only
Length6h 44m
About this audiobook
People are used to seeing “fake physics” in science fiction—concepts like faster-than-light travel, antigravity, and time travel, to name a few. The fiction label ought to be a giveaway, but some SF writers—especially those with a background in professional science—are so adept at “technobabble” that it can be difficult to work out what is fake and what is real. To confuse matters further, Isaac Asimov’s 1948 piece about the fictitious time-traveling substance thiotimoline was written, not as a short story, but in the form of a spoof research paper.
The boundaries between fact and fiction can also be blurred by physicists themselves—sometimes unintentionally, sometimes with tongue-in-cheek, sometimes to satirize perceived weaknesses in research practices. Examples range from hoaxes aimed at exposing poor editorial standards in academic publications, through “thought experiments” that sound like the plot of a sci-fi movie to April Fools’ jokes. Even the latter may carry a serious message, whether about the sociology of science or poking fun at legitimate but far-out scientific hypotheses.
This entertaining book is a joyous romp exploring the whole spectrum of fake physics—from science to fiction and back again.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.4 (57)
Includes Goodreads
GenreScience and Nature
Length6 hrs 44 mins
Narrated byTim Gerard Reynolds
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateFeb 27, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Series
More from Andrew May
A Brief History of IntelligenceMax S. Bennett12h 18m4.6 (6.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Story of BirdsSteve Brusatte11h 49m4.6 (401)$29 · $0.00
My Life Among the UnderdogsTia Torres5h 51m4.5 (4K)$24 · $0.00
What It Takes to Save a LifeKwane Stewart6h4.6 (556)$24 · $0.00
Pastoral SongJames Rebanks8h 35m4.5 (12K)$26 · $0.00
How Stella Learned to TalkChristina Hunger7h4.5 (10.9K)$24 · $0.00
Craig & FredCraig Grossi8h 6m4.5 (9.6K)$26 · $0.00
Celebrating BirdsNatalia Rojas, Ana Maria Martinez6h 47m4.6 (330)$24 · $0.00
Saving JemimaJulie Zickefoose4h 59m4.5 (749)$20 · $0.00
Will's Red CoatTom Ryan8h 23m4.5 (2.3K)$26 · $0.00
Of Time and TurtlesSy Montgomery10h 34m4.5 (5K)$29 · $0.00
Zen and the Art of Saving the PlanetThich Nhat Hanh9h 20m4.5 (3.9K)$29 · $0.00
Bottle of LiesKatherine Eban14h 25m4.4 (12K)$33 · $0.00
IngrainedCallum Robinson8h 10m4.5 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
The Lion Tracker's Guide To LifeBoyd Varty3h 1m4.4 (4.8K)$18 · $0.00
Born for LoveBruce D. Perry, Maia Szalavitz11h 42m4.4 (4K)$29 · $0.00
The Mountains of California (With Original Drawings & Photographs) (Annotated)John Muir11h 35m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
The New GuysMeredith Bagby16h 50m4.4 (1.2K)$40 · $0.00
Blue PasturesMary Oliver3h 23m4.4 (3.8K)$18 · $0.00
The Rise and Reign of the MammalsSteve Brusatte13h 26m4.4 (11.1K)$33 · $0.00
You may also like
Grammar-land; Or, Grammar in Fun for the Children of Schoolroom-shireM. L. Nesbitt2h 36m4.4 (487)$1 · $0.00
How to Train Your HumanBabas1h 50m4.1 (1.5K)$16 · $0.00
A Tale of a TubJonathan Swift4h 18m3.7 (12.8K)$2.30 · $0.00
A Pickle for the Knowing Ones (Annotated)Timothy Dexter2h 1m3.7 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
A Tale of a Tub (Annotated)Jonathan Swift4h 42m3.9 (2.7K)$1.20 · $0.00
Mark Twain: On MasturbationMark Twain1h 28m3.9 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
FlatlandEdwin Abbott Abbott3h 43m4.1 (255.7K)$20 · $0.00
DILBERT FUTUREScott Adams1h 18m3.8 (14.4K)$16 · $0.00
A Parody Outline of HistoryDonald Ogden Stewart2h 36m3.3 (28)$2.30
How to Win at FeminismReductress, Beth Newell, Sarah Pappalardo, Anna Drezen6h 17m3.3 (548)$24 · $0.00
How to Win at FeminismReductress, Beth Newell, Sarah Pappalardo, Anna Drezen6h 17m3.3 (548)$24 · $0.00
Englisch lernen Audio - London-QuizOwen Connors1h 2m$17
Winnowed WisdomStephen Leacock5h 31m3.3 (22)$2 · $0.00
BizarreLawton Mackall3h 7m$2 · $0.00
Frenzied FictionStephen Leacock6h 13m3.9 (225)$1 · $0.00
Beaver: An Alphabet of Typical SpecimensJohn Kettelwell40m$2 · $0.00
Geometry Unfolded: 5 Classic Works on the Principles of GeometryClaude Fayette Bragdon, Edwin Abbott Abbott, Charles Howard Hinton, Bernhard Marks, Bertrand Russell25h 24m4.4 (11)$1.99 · $0.00
Kraft Music Hall, Vol. 1Black Eye Entertainment7h 53m$20
An Essay towards Fixing the True Standards of Wit, Humour, Railery, Satire, and Ridicule (1744)Corbyn Morris2h 6m$2 · $0.00
English Illustration 'The Sixties': 1855-70Gleeson White7h 19m$1 · $0.00