How do mathematical models explain the cosmos? Ian Stewart, winner of several awards for popularizing science, provides a fascinating guide to the mechanics of the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe.

He describes the architecture of space and time, dark matter and dark energy, how galaxies formed and why stars explode, how it all began and how it might all end. He discusses parallel universes, the problem of fine-tuning the cosmos to make it habitable, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood that our own life on Earth might be wiped out by an asteroid strike.

The Mathematics of the Cosmos is a thrilling and engrossing mathematical quest into the inner workings of astronomy and cosmology.