In this lively volume, Cambridge physicist Barrow (The Book of Nothing) considers the natural constants-the handful of seemingly eternal numerical values, such as the speed of light, the weight of the proton, Planck's constant or the four dimensions of space and time-that constitute the "bedrock" of physical reality. These constants quantify some of the simplest statements that science makes about the world, but as this fascinating work of popular science demonstrates, they have profound implications for the fate of the universe and our place within it. And, Barrow hints, they might not be truly constant. He traces scientists' evolving understanding of the natural constants as they grew to assume a central role in modern relativity theory and quantum mechanics, and outlines ongoing attempts to determine whether they are just inexplicable facts of nature or the logical consequence of some fundamental Theory of Everything.

Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants--numbers and values that dictate the strength of gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge professor and bestselling author John D. Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles.

Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe's infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

1 Before the Beginning

 Sameliness

2 Joruney Towards Ultimate Reality

 Mission to Mars

 Measure for measure-parochial Standards

 Maintaining Universal Standards

 A brilliant idea!

 Max Planck's real

 About time

3 Superhuman Standards

 Einstein om constants

 The deeper significance of Stoney-Planck units: the new Mappa Mundi

 Otherworldliness

 The super-Copernican Principle

4 Further,Deeper,Fewer:The Quest for a Theory of Everything

 Numbers you can count on

 Cosmic cubism

 New constants involve new labour

 Numerology

5 Eddington's Unfinished Symphony

 Countint to　15,747,724,136,275,002,577,605,653,961,181,555,468,044,717,914,527,116,709,366,231,425,076,185,631,031,296

 Fundamentalism

 Theatrical physics

6 The Mystery of the Very Large Numbers

 Spooky numbers

 A bold hypothesis

 Of things to come at large

 Big and old,dark and cold

 The biggest number of all

7 Biology and the Stars

 Is the universe old?

 The chance of a lifetime

 Other types of life

 Prepare to meet thy doom

 From coincidence to consequence

 Life in an Edwardian universe

8 The Anthropic Principle

 Anthropic arguments

 A delicate balance

 Brandon Carter's principles

 A close-run thing?

 Some other anthropic principles

9 Altering Constants and Rewriting History

 Rigid worlds versus flexi worlds

 Inflationary universes

 Virtual History-a little digression

10 New Dimensions

 Living in a hundred dimensions

 Walking with planisaurs

 Polygons and polygamy

 Why is life so easy for physicists?

 The sad case of Paul Ehrenfest

 The special, case of Gerald Whitrow

 The strange case of Theodor Kaluza and Oskar Klein

 Varying constants on the brane

11 Variations on a Constant Theme

 A prehistoric nuclear reactor

 Alexander Shlyakhter's insight

 The Clock of Ages

 Underground speculations

12 Reach for the Sky

 Plenty of time

 Inconstancy among the constants?

 What do we make of that?

 Our place in history

13 Other Worlds and Big Questions

 Multiverses

 The Great Universal Catalogue

 Worlds without end

 Journey's end

Notes

Index