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Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku — Summary, Key Ideas & Quotes
2008352 pages✦ 3-min Big ideas★ 4.1 (8)
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What is Physics of the Impossible about?
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. [][1]
A glimpse inside
Classifying the Impossible
Kaku introduces a unique framework that categorizes 'impossible' technologies into three classes, based on their plausibility and the timescales required for their realization. Class I impossibilities are technologies that don't violate known physical laws and might be achieved within a century, such as invisibility or teleportation. Class II encompasses those that might take millennia, like time travel or faster-than-light travel, while Class III are those that fundamentally contradict our understanding of physics—such as perpetual motion machines. This classification helps readers distinguish between dreams that are simply out of reach for now, and those that may forever remain fantasy.
From Fiction to Physics
The book bridges the gap between science fiction and actual scientific research, showing how many ideas once deemed impossible have become everyday realities—think of lasers or atomic energy. Kaku explores the scientific principles behind popular sci-fi concepts, grounding each in real physics. By doing so, he demonstrates that today's fiction can inspire tomorrow's breakthroughs, and that the line between imagination and possibility is often thinner than we think.
Ratings at a glance
Open Library
★ 4.1 / 5
8 ratings
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Get smart in 3 min
6 key ideas, distilled
- 1Classifying the Impossible
- 2From Fiction to Physics
- 3The Limits of Physical Law
- 4Technologies on the Horizon
- 5The Role of Imagination in Science
Popular quotes from Physics of the Impossible
“The impossible is often merely what we have not yet discovered.”
More by Michio Kaku
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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 reno