Finding the ultimate theory of time

Clock keeper Jim Walker winds up the famous 'Brief Encounter' clock at Carnforth Railway Station on August 3, 2009 in Carnforth, England

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Getty Images

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From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time

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Dutton

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It seems obvious that time runs in one direction- people don't grow younger and an egg can't be unscrambled, for example. But why is this so? In his book "From Eternity to Here," physicist Sean Carroll seeks to create a better understanding of time. According to Carroll, time's one-way arrow is due to conditions before the Big Bang. He argues that our universe is part of a larger family of universes- and that in sibling universes, time runs in the opposite direction. He touches on subjects from entropy and quantum mechanics to time travel and the meaning of life. Carroll joins Larry Mantle to explain the mind-boggling concepts of time.

It seems obvious that time runs in one direction- people don't grow younger and an egg can't be unscrambled, for example. But why is this so? In his book "From Eternity to Here," physicist Sean Carroll seeks to create a better understanding of time. According to Carroll, time's one-way arrow is due to conditions before the Big Bang. He argues that our universe is part of a larger family of universes- and that in sibling universes, time runs in the opposite direction. He touches on subjects from entropy and quantum mechanics to time travel and the meaning of life. Carroll joins Larry Mantle to explain the mind-boggling concepts of time.

Carroll will discuss "From Eternity to Here" at Skylight Books in Los Feliz on Saturday, February 6 at 5pm.

Guest:

Sean Carroll, Ph.D., author of "From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time" (Dutton). He is a theoretical physicist and senior research associate at the California Institute of Technology. He writes regularly for the Discover blog Cosmic Variance.