The Second Kind of Impossible

Name: The Second Kind of Impossible
ISBN: 9787573907202

保罗·斯坦哈特 / 高跃丹Dec 2023

3.8

Word count: 184K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787573907202

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Summary

Paul Steinhardt's distinctive and deft storytelling makes reading The Second Kind of Impossible feel like reading a brilliant detective novel: the pages hold clues that fill readers with hope and unsettling reversals, giving readers not only a first-person view of the obstacles and dead ends that scientific research can encounter and of how scientists see and solve problems, but also a rare, thoroughly satisfying experience of reading popular science.

Editor's review

What makes this popular science book special is its narrative approach: the author writes the scientific research process like a detective novel, with clues, obstacles, dead ends, and reversals alternating, and readers follow a first-person perspective, genuinely experiencing how scientists raise questions, encounter setbacks, and readjust direction. It does not rush to present conclusions, but lays out the uncertainty and the cost of trial and error in research for readers to see; this honesty is more persuasive than listing results. For readers accustomed to conclusion-oriented popular science, this book offers a more immersive experience, suitable for continuous reading in leisure time and as supplementary reading for understanding scientific methodology. One caveat: the book involves considerable reasoning about the research process, so readers should follow the clues with patience rather than rushing to the answer.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who enjoy narrative popular science and the experience of reading a mystery
Students who want to understand the real process of scientific research and how scientists think
Educators and popular science creators who need to tell stories of scientific exploration to others
Cross-disciplinary readers interested in trial and error, obstacles, and reversals in research

Not a good fit for

Utilitarian readers who only want quick access to conclusions and key knowledge points
Exam-preparation readers who expect systematic textbook-style knowledge organization and a rigorous knowledge system
Readers who lack patience for research-process details and prefer short, fragmented reading

Reading tips

Read in chapter order, following the clues the author lays out; do not flip to the end for conclusions first.
When scientists hit an obstacle or change direction, pause and think: if it were you, how would you judge the next step?
Keep a sheet of paper to record the book's key clues and reversals, and after finishing, review how the research thinking changed.
Read together with others and discuss the methods in the book, turning detective-style reading into an understanding of scientific method

版权信息
推荐序寻根问底的追“凶”之旅：一个关于准晶的故事
赞誉
前言为期30年的探索
第一部分让不可能成为可能
01 不可能
02 彭罗斯难题
03 找到漏洞
04 双实验室并行记
05 振奋人心的故事
06 完美的不可能
第二部分追索开始了
07 自然打败过我们吗
08 新伙伴卢卡·宾迪
09 “准”新年快乐
10 当你说这不可能的时候
11 蓝队与红队的对决
12 上帝若非有意捉弄，就是太过任性
13 神秘的秘密日记
14 关键人物——瓦列里·克里亚奇科
15 罕见之物中包藏着某种不可能
16 二十面体石
第三部分去堪察加半岛，否则等着“项目流产”吧
17 失踪
18 失而复得
19 99%
20 取得突破
21 奇迹之人
22 大自然的秘密
致谢
图片来源

FAQ

Is this book a novel or popular science?

It is popular science, but it uses a narrative technique similar to a detective novel, organizing clues, obstacles, and reversals in research into a suspenseful reading process. What readers encounter is real scientific exploration, not fictional plot; the narrative approach serves to make the research process more tangible.

Does reading this book require a science background?

No professional background is required; the author narrates the research process from a first-person perspective, and general readers can follow the clues. Basic familiarity with the relevant scientific field will make reading smoother, but the book focuses on how scientists think and explore rather than on dense specialized knowledge.

Why is the reading experience said to be like a detective novel?

The material indicates that the book holds clues that fill readers with hope and unsettling reversals, and readers learn from a first-person perspective about the obstacles and dead ends research may encounter. This suspense-driven structure is close to detective narrative, giving popular science reading the engagement of puzzle-solving.

Is it suitable for students as reading on scientific method?

Yes. The book shows how scientists view and solve problems and how they face dead ends, which can help students understand that research does not lead straight to conclusions. It is recommended for use with classroom discussion, guiding students to focus on how research thinking adjusts rather than merely memorizing results.

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About the author

保罗·斯坦哈特 Author · American · 1952

Paul Steinhardt, an American theoretical physicist born in 1952, is a professor at Princeton University. He is known for his contributions to quasicrystal research and cosmological models, with an academic scope spanning condensed matter physics and cosmology. The library holds one work by him, The Second Kind of Impossible. According to the current classification, the book is categorized as science fiction, an interesting contrast with the author's identity as a scientist; it suggests the novel may build its narrative around scientific concepts and weave reflections on natural laws and the boundaries of possibility into its fictional plot. Because the library's materials are limited, details about the book's plot, characters, and writing techniques remain sparse in publicly available sources and cannot yet be described in depth. Overall, Steinhardt's writing is grounded in rigorous scientific training, and the value of his work lies more in offering intellectual support for stories from a professional perspective, giving readers access to frontier concepts such as quasicrystals and cosmology.

高跃丹 Author · Chinese

Gao Yuedan is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available. What can be confirmed is that their writing involves the field of science fiction, with one work included in the library collection, The Second Kind of Impossible. Judging from the available information, this work is categorized as science fiction, indicating that the author develops narrative and imagination within this genre. Since no clear records of biographical details, educational background, or writing career are available, it is difficult to give a fuller account of the author's development, and it would be inappropriate to make excessive inferences about stylistic features. Based on the existing work, readers may regard the author as a writer working in the direction of science fiction, whose work deserves to be read and discussed in the context of the genre. More public information is still needed regarding the author and any future writing.