Review of Machinery of Gravity

[mmm17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Machinery of Gravity" by David Franklin.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Most of us have at least a general understanding of the law of gravity. Throughout Machinery of Gravity: Generalized Equivalence, David Franklin presents and explores an alternate line of thinking. It is a thought-provoking notion, markedly different from our usual idea of gravity as an attractive force.

The book challenges the common point of view that matter attracts matter. Based on Newtonian physics, this traditional concept fails to consider the second law of thermodynamics. The author argues that this shortcoming leads to a few contradictions. Instead, Franklin posits that gravity could result from a pushing phenomenon caused by the Earth expanding and walks readers through Generalized Equivalence (GEQ), also known as the Expansion Hypothesis. The bulk of the book is devoted to explaining this alternative hypothesis.

As one might imagine, the book is sometimes a dense and demanding read. There is a lot of math in it, for the author uses several complex equations to support his line of thinking. However, this did not detract from the reading experience, and I enjoyed reading the book.

What I liked the most was the instructive and straightforward language used by the author. Franklin defines, explains, and explores GED and applies this new notion to various problems in physics. Franklin’s writing style is accessible, making advanced science seem approachable to the lay reader. For instance, I appreciated the skillful way the author approaches and explains the second law of thermodynamics, coordinate systems, Occam’s razor, and many other scientific notions and theories. It’s a challenging task, but Franklin gets there. There’s a wealth of information, and I appreciated the thoughtful examples, analogies, and metaphors, especially regarding space and time.

I also enjoyed how the author discusses the scientific method and how new paradigms come to be. I particularly liked his reference to Thomas Kuhn and his seminal work about the structure of scientific revolutions. The author includes a great discussion about the meaning of truth, taking readers on a journey through the history of science and physics. Admirably, Franklin doesn’t dodge the obstacles to overcome to take GED to the next level, and I appreciated this.

In closing, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I have no negatives worth mentioning. I did find a few editing mishaps, but they weren’t enough to warrant the removal of a star from the rating. If you enjoy popular science titles, especially the ones about physics, this book will surely please you. If you dislike complex scientific theories, you should steer clear of it, though.

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Machinery of Gravity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Maliha Naveed]

This seems to be an interesting read. I myself do not very much understand complex scientific theories but the way you have reviewed the book, shows that I will get something about it. Thanks for encouraging to read it.

[marta baglioni]

This looks like a challenging read. I am curious about the author's point of view: I had never heard of this Expansion Hypothesis. Thank you for the interesting review!

[Priya_Singh]

I want to give this book a try. I am curious about the authors' research and theory. Expansion theory, seems to.be worth reading. Thank you for your in-depth review.

[collinsogw555]

Wow, finally seeing a book about physic, I would love to read this wonderful book. Great review.

[Pearl Thomas]

Seems like an interesting topic. will be a good suggestion for my sciency friends. Thank you for your detailed review.

[T T 2]

Being a physics student myself, it would be interesting to read about the author's viewpoint on the topic of gravity and thermodynamics. Looks like a good read for me. Thank You!

[Gabriella1997]

Science books are really not my kind of books but I would love to read more about this book, beautiful review.