The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe

When presented with a list of possible science-related book choices, immediately I thought of perhaps one of, if not the most commonly debated issue in the world: the creation of the Earth and the processes involved in such a daunting task. With a scientific topic in mind I then searched for related books that involve the Big Bang theory (the most widely accepted view of life's origins); however, I was unsuccessful in finding a book that was both intriguing and yet simplistic enough that someone (such as myself) with a limited scientific knowledge could extract the information and gain a thorough understanding of the process. Discouraged by a lack of suitable books that met such "requirements", I asked Mr. Clark for his recommendation of a related book, thus I discovered The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe. The novel was written by renowned physicist Steven Weinberg, a physicist at the University of Texas at Austin, whose research and breakthroughs in relation to electromagnetism led to him being awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize in Physics. Weinberg is widely respected within the scientific and "lay" community alike, as his book allowed the common person to understand the creation of the universe and as such, his book is now translated in over 25 different languages.

The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe is essentially a summary in itself, of the processes involved with the Big Bang theory and the first three minutes of the universe. The book is a work of natural history that discusses the beginning of the Universe from its origin until the current time period, and relates the history and study of cosmology to the creation of the Universe. Much of the novel is based on Einstein's theory of relativities and two primary scientific discoveries: the Hubble (the Doppler effect) and the radio-noise remains of the Big Bang, by Wilson and Penzias. Weinberg also addresses a currently unanswered question of the critical density of matter in the universe and its fate: heat crunch, cold death, or continued stable expansion. Weinberg offers a perspective of how small our world truly is, as he eludes to the fact that there are billions of galaxies in the universe. As the book was produced in the late 1970's, some scientific advancements are not included in it (such as the black hole discovery), but otherwise, it seems to give a very in depth, accurate explanation of the Big Bang theory. The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe spurred a cosmology "craze" in which numerous other research books were published, and a further look into the theory was given.

Though the book initially appeared as if it would be interesting and simplistic to read, Weinberg often uses complex scientific words and analogies that make it difficult for the common reader (such as myself) to follow along. As a moderate science enthusiast, I would have enjoyed reading this book and learning about the relationship between cosmology and physics and how the Big Bang theory developed, if Weinberg had used references and analogies that were more suitable for a general audience. While literary and scientific critics did state that Steven Weinberg wrote his book for all to understand, I believe that a fundamental knowledge of the theory is essential into understanding the more complex explanation. Depending on one's interest and scientific ability, I would recommend the book for those with a more thorough knowledge and an aptitude for physics and cosmology, however for most people, I would not recommend reading the book.