Through pointers on how to modify and generalise einsteins theory to enhance understanding, it provides a link between standard textbook content and current research in the field. It lacks a light introduction to the basic concepts of relativity without math, to use as the foundation from which to build the rest of the book. I want to learn special relativity at a more deeper level. Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books for. Introduction to general relativity and cosmology essential. This popular book is downloaded over 40 000 times per year and guarantees to be captivating and surprising on every page. The best book on special relativity that i have read is by a. It is the purpose of this book to provide an introduction to the special theory of relativity which is accessible to any student who has had an introduction to general physics and some slight acquaintance with the calculus. An accesible version of einsteins masterpiece of theory, written by the genius himself according to einstein himself, this book is intended to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theore. This book presents the theory of relativity for students of physics and mathematics who have had no previous introduction to the subject and whose mathematical training does not go beyond the fields which are necessary for studying classical theoretical physics. For the main encyclopedia article, see general relativity.
Special relativity, lorentzian geometry, introduction to general relativity, null structure equations, applications to null hypersurfaces, christodoulous memory effect, black holes, lagrangian theories and the variational principle, hyperbolic. Designed to render any reader a master of relativity, everything on the subject is comprehensible and derivable from first. The book nicely reflects his approach of the subject. Free relativity books download ebooks online textbooks. This simple, userfriendly introduction to relativity is ideal for a first course in the subject. Introduction to the theory of relativity dover books on physics. Roughly speaking, the principle states that a person in a freefalling elevator cannot tell that they are in free fall. Taylor and john archibald wheeler, spacetime physics. An introduction to general relativity by james hartle is. Much of the material is at a level suitable for high school students who have had advanced placement in physics and. The purpose of this note is to introduce the theory of special relativity in an easily understandable way.
What is the best book for selflearning special and. The first edition of the novel was published in 1916, and was written by albert einstein. Introduction general relativity 1 astrophysics cambridge. An introduction to the special theory of relativity by. Robert resnick introduction to special relativity 1968. An introduction to the special theory of relativity.
Books for general relativity physics stack exchange. It goes over the main ideas of relativity and uses thought experiments to help readers understand them. Galileo and newton developed the first correct version of classical relativity. In addition, general relativity is the basis of current cosmological models of a consistently expanding universe. Jan 28, 2010 this simple, userfriendly introduction to relativity is ideal for a first course in the subject.
Three elements of the book make it stand apart from previously published books on the theory of relativity. This book presents, in a natural and beautiful way, the general relativity as a scheme for describing the gravitational field and the equations it obeys. An introduction to relativity by narlikar, jayant v. Starting from the basics of light and electromagnetism, students are then gently introduced to the conflict between maxwells electromagnetic theory and newtonian mechanics which led einstein to special relativity. This is why in an introduction to general relativity it is of. An accesible version of einsteins masterpiece of theory, written by the genius himself according to einstein himself, this book is intended to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of. What is relativity an intuitive introduction to einsteins.
Special relativity is a cornerstone of the structure of all fundamental theories, and general relativity has blossomed from einsteins original theory into a. This book provides an introduction to the theory of relativity and the mathematics used in its processes. What is relativity an intuitive introduction to einsteins ideas, and. Lecture notes on general relativity by columbia university. Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books. General relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books for. I can only recommend textbooks because thats what ive used, but here are some suggestions.
Nov 21, 2017 special relativity is one of the foundation blocks of physics. I read introduction to special relativity by robert resnick. According to general relativity, the observed gravitational attraction between masses results from the warping of space and time by those masses. People have been exploring relativity for many centuries. Highprecision test of general relativity by the cassini space probe artists impression. Most calculations are presented step by step, as is done on the board in class. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. To be honest i imagine that selflearning relativity to be quite difficult. General relativity is now an essential part of undergraduate and graduate courses in physics, astrophysics and applied mathematics. General relativity gr is a theory of gravitation that was developed by albert einstein between 1907 and 1915. Robert resnick promotes special relativity in his 1967 book introduction to special relativity. There are a great number of really excellent books on relativity, but no particular book is good for everyone. Introduction special relativity, first edition abebooks.
This book is a greatlyexpanded version of sean carrolls earlier lecture notes on general relativity, which can still be acquired online, for free, from a page on his current website. Signal motion in the rest frame is ballistic while in the moving frame it is absolute. The basic aspects of general relativity are presented from a geometric point of view. General relativity is a beautiful scheme for describing the gravitational.
A prolific writer for both adults and children, his books are translated into 20 languages and have been shortlisted for many scientific book prizes. It might look a bit hokey, but its full of fabulous insights. System upgrade on tue, may 19th, 2020 at 2am et during this period, ecommerce and registration of new users may not be available for up to 12 hours. Much of the material is at a level suitable for high school students who have had advanced placement in physics and mathematics. This book, based on a short course at the university of sussex, presents relativity as a natural outgrowth of dynamics. Introduction to general relativity and cosmology gives undergraduate students an overview of the fundamental ideas behind the geometric theory of gravitation and spacetime. The style is pedagogic and notable for a gentle but concise introduction to modern calculational tools in applied differential geometry along with traditional tensor calculus. This book provides an accessible introduction to the special theory of relativity. First, the book starts at a lower mathematical level than standard books with tensor. This book provides and insightful and nononsense introduction to einsteins theory of general relativity and its basic applications to cosmology. This book offers a lucid introduction to einsteins theory of gravitation which is finally part of mainstream physics in many undergraduate final year options.
This is an introduction to einsteins theories of special and general relativity. The text follows the authors years of experience teaching an undergraduate course on the subject. Designed to render any reader a master of relativity, everything on the subject is comprehensible and derivable from first principles. In introduction to relativity, physics teacher and researcher bill mcglinn explains the fundamental concepts of einsteins special and general theories of relativity. This article is a nontechnical introduction to the subject. I got insights and intuition in special relativity. A listing of technical books for general relativity. The word relativity might conjure an image of einstein, but the idea did not begin with him. Spacetime and geometry, an introduction to general relativity, by sean m. The content of the book is well indicated by chapter headings.
Starting from physical motivations, curved coordinates are introduced, and then the notion of an affine connection field is added. Please recommend some books research papers for special relativity. It is the purpose of this book to provide an introduction to the special theory of relativity which is accessible to any stu dent who has had an introduction to general physics and some slight acquaintance with the calculus. Nowadays this theory is often used as a prototype for other, more intricate constructions to describe forces between elementary particles or other branches of fundamental physics. This book provides a concise introduction to both the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. I particularly recommend the first of the following books. Introduction to relativity is intended to teach physics and astronomy majors at the freshman, sophomore or upperdivision levels how to think about special and general relativity in a fundamental, but accessible, way. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of pages and is available in paperback format. Starting on page 53 discussing clock synchronization, figure 21 illustrates simultaneous lightning strikes in two frames, one resting and the other moving. The 2 postulates, the relativity of simultaneity, length contraction, time dilation, lorentz transformation, the metric, the twins paradox, moving faster than light. Introduction to general relativity a course for undergraduate. The special and the general theory by albert einstein. Einstein hypothesized that the similar experiences of weightless observers and inertial observers in special relativity represented a fundamental property of gravity, and he made this the cornerstone of his theory of general relativity, formalized in his equivalence principle. Although meant to be an introduction to relativity, this book is hard to read right from the start.
Relativity, almost a hundred years old in its classic einsteinian form, is one of the most fascinating threads running through science from galileos day to ours. Introduction to special relativity by resnick, robert, 1923. Special relativity is not a theory about light, it is a theory about space and time, but it was the strange behaviour of light that first alerted scientists to the possibility that the universe had an unexpected geometry. The book contains chapters on gravitational radiation, cosmology, and connections between general relativity and the fundamental physics of the microworld. Introduction to the special theory of relativity by claude kacser and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. First, the book introduces special relativity in a simple way. According to einstein himself, this book is intended to give an exact insight into the theory of. An introduction to elnsteins general relativity the aim of this groundbreaking new book is to bring general relativity into the undergraduate curriculum and make this fundamental theory accessible to all physics majors. He describes the basic consequences of special relativitylength contraction and time dilationand the enigma of the twin paradox, as well as the doppler shift of light. This book will introduce the reader to, perhaps, the most profound discovery of the twentieth century and the modern world. The formalism used throughout the entire book makes it hard for you to gain the courage to try to master relativity in a technical depth.