The Grip of Gravity

This story of how we have arrived at our understanding of the laws of motion and gravitation traces both the historical progress and explains the central scientific ideas. Aimed at a 'non-technical' reader this book has an anecdotal approach describing experiments to further understand gravity and natural phenomena. Gravity is the most enigmatic of all known forces of nature. It controls everything, from ocean tides to the expansion of the Universe. The search for the laws of motion and gravitation started over two thousand years ago. The reader is taken on an exciting journey through the subsequent centuries, identifying the blind alleys, the profound insights and flashes of inspiration that have punctuated this search. Despite the fantastic progress that has been made, the true nature of gravity is still a mystery and this book attempts to show how the current developments in string theory(s) (perhaps the 'Theory of Everything') may lead to a new and radical interpretation of gravity. This book describes the fundamental concepts, developments and experiments, both performed and planned, to increase our understanding of gravity and the natural phenomena in which gravity is the principal player.