Einsteins theory of general relativity predicted that the spacetime around earth would be not only warped but also twisted by the planets rotation. The film is an attempt to explain albert einsteins special theory of relativity with a simpler visual. Einstein s theory of special relativity created a fundamental link between space and time. The special and the general theory began as a short paper and was eventually published as a book written by albert einstein with the aim of giving. Clear, concise exposition of both the special and general theories of relativity, intended for nonscientific readers with a knowledge of high school math. David mermin asserts that relativity ought to be an important part of everyones educationafter all, it is largely about time, a subject with which all are familiar. Needless to say, it is of purely historical interest today. As the author clearly states, this in not a book that can be read like a novel. 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. The theory of relativity, or simply relativity, encompasses two theories of albert einstein. Effectively diagrammed and with an emphasis on logical structure, leo sartoris rigorous but simple presentation will guide interested readers through concepts of relative time and relative space. General relativity explains the law of gravitation and its relation to other forces of nature. This book will elucidate all the iconic thoughts of einstein without requiring a physics degree from the reader. The special and general theory may not sound very attractive at first.
Einsteins theory fits in an unusual place for introductory books on the topic. The special and the general theory by albert einstein. General relativity generalizes special relativity and refines newtons law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and. The special theory of relativity from stanford university. Einsteins relativity theory was presented as a principled, rather than a constructive, theory. The basic idea is so elegant that you dont need superpowers to understand it. The special theory of relativity was set forth by einstein in his 1905 paper on the electrodynamics of moving bodies. The new book by jeffrey bennett introduces einsteins theory of relativity to a lay audience, explaining why black holes dont suck and other. The special and the general theorya clear explanation. Buy einsteins theory of relativity dover books on physics book online at best prices in india on. The book reveals that some of our most intuitive notions about time are shockingly wrong, and that the real nature of time discovered by einstein can be rigorously explained without advanced mathematics. Buy einsteins theory of relativity dover books on physics revised edition by born, max isbn. Einsteins monograph on the theory of relativity is simply brilliant, of course, and i wouldnt presume to critique his work.
There are a great number of really excellent books on relativity, but no particular book is good for everyone. It brings to life the excitement of this fascinating subject, for an audience including young people at school post16 and the general public with an interest in modern physics. Einsteins theories shocked the world with their counterintuitive results, including the dissolution of absolute time. The reader is assumed to have but little mathematical knowledge. So, instead of reading that you should read later ver. Einsteins theories relativity gravitation abebooks.
What are the best books to understand theory of relativity. On the 100 th anniversary of albert einsteins general theory of relativity, bennetts book seeks to explain both special and general relativity in a form that a nonexpert could understand. Ive also devoted a lot of time to the study of relativity, in all its mathematical splendor, and believe ive reached a level of a competent 1st year physics grad student. Weve all heard of einsteins equation but how many people can actually explain what it means. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in the absence of gravity. This was the first book on relativity theory, written in a burst of youthful enthusiasm by the twenty year old pauli. For 100 years, the general theory of relativity has been a pillar of modern physics. No mathamatics if you read brief history of timebht by stephen hawking, i think you will not be satisfied because some topics you wont be able to understand and you will be confused. Relativity remains a topic of crucial interest for scientists grappling with its implications for physics, astronomy, cosmology, and other disciplines. An accesible version of einstein s 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. I have no hesitation in saying that this is the best book on the special theory of relativity at a semipopular level i have ever read. To be honest i imagine that selflearning relativity to be quite difficult. The present book is intended, as far as possible, 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 theoretical physics. Special and general relativity explain the structure of space time and provide a theory of gravitation, respectively.
The phase velocity of matter waves is always greater than c, which opposes the principle of special theory of relativity 5,45 46 474849505152. Geometry and cosmology, the fundamental laws of classical mechanics, the newtonian worldsystem, the fundamental laws of optics, the fundamental laws of electrodynamics and einsteins special principle of relativity. N david mermin this readable and complete exposition of the nature of time as addressed in einsteins special theory of relativity is accessible to readers without training in the sciences. A fun way of understanding einsteins general theory of. There are a lot of books out there that try to help nonscientists understand einsteins theories of relativity, and ive read a bunch of them. Frenchs book is very good, even though it isnt brand new. Unfortunately, in the case of this book dover let me down. What is the best book for selflearning special and. Albert einsteins theory of relativity is the basis for our understanding of the universe, but if you still arent quite sure how it works, this video does an excellent job of explaining. Woodhouse gives the best clear path to the full theory of general relativity. Albert einstein 5 preface december, 1916 the present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a. Its now been converted to adobes portable document format.
Albert einstein s theory of relativity is the basis for our understanding of the universe, but if you still arent quite sure how it works, this video does an excellent job of explaining. Both books share the goal of introducing special relativity to. The book is also logically organized to facilitate understanding of the sequence of phenomena and research that guided einstein. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. But empire books, or whatever flybynight publisher was responsible for this particular edition of the book, was inexcusably negligent. Understanding einsteins relativity is based on mermins lectures to nonscience majors at cornell university, which the author has been giving intermittently for the past 30 years. This 4dimensional space is referred to as the spacetime continuum.
Nonspecialists with no prior knowledge of physics and only reasonable proficiency with algebra can now understand einsteins special theory of relativity. Effectively diagrammed and with an emphasis on logical structure, leo sartoris rigorous but simple presentation will guide interested readers through concepts of relative time. If all physics texts were like this one, there would be far more scientists around. An interactive comic you dont need superpowers to understand. This is his second book on relativity theory, the first being space and time in special relativity mcgrawhill, 1968. Topics include simultaneity, time dilation, length contraction, the possibility of travel to a distant star, noneuclidean geometries, black holes, and the structure of the universe.
Laymen, too, are fascinated by relativity theory, which overturned the classical order of newtonian physics and postulated ideas about space and time that often seem to contradict common sense. An excellent book on einsteins special theory of relativity. Understanding relativity by leo sartori seeks to provide an introduction to einsteins theory. An object remains in uniform motion unless acted on.
The new book by jeffrey bennett introduces einstein s theory of relativity to a lay audience, explaining why black holes dont suck and other phenomena. In this course we will seek to understand einstein, especially focusing on the special theory of relativity that albert einstein, as a twentysix year old patent clerk, introduced in his miracle year of 1905. This book provides a lively and visual introduction to einsteins theory of relativity. The main characters of this science, non fiction story are. Sartori covers general relativity and cosmology, but focuses on einsteins theory. In this course we will seek to understand einstein, especially focusing on the special theory of relativity that albert einstein, as a twentysix year old. Excerpt from preface the obstacles which the layman finds to understanding einsteins relativity theories lie not so much in the inherent difficulty of these theories themselves as in the difficulty of preparing the mind for their. A fun way of understanding einsteins general theory of relativity by joshua carroll, universe today einsteins famous equation. Laymen, too, are fascinated by relativity theory, which overturned the classical order of newtonian physics and postulated ideas the style is very clear and concise, and the treatment is. In this book he brings a simplified form of his profound understanding of the subject to the layperson. A superquick, superpainless guide to the theory that conquered the universe. Rindlers book is the absolute complete compendium on special relativity. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of pages and is available in paperback format.
I clearly see the strength of this book in lucid, selfcontained, lively, downtoearth, and meticulous presentation. Einstein realized that massive things like earth warp spacetime. The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by albert einstein. Albert einstein determined that massive objects cause a distortion in spacetime, which is felt as gravity.
Albert einstein, in his theory of special relativity, determined that the laws of physics are the same for all nonaccelerating observers, and he showed that the speed of light within a vacuum is the same no matter the speed at which an observer travels. General relativity gr, also known as the general theory of relativity gtr, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by albert einstein in 1915 and the current description of gravitation in modern physics. As a result, he found that space and time were interwoven. The universe can be viewed as having three space dimensions updown, leftright, forwardbackward and one time dimension. It is a great book and written by a world class scholar. It applies to the cosmological and astrophysical realm, including astronomy. A principled theory is one that begins with principles and then uses these principles to explain the phenomena. It requires deep concentration and a lot of patience to follow what is presented, but in the end the reader is rewarded for their efforts with a deeper understanding of what the einsteins theory of relativity is all about. In this work einstein intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general and scientific philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of. Einsteins theory of relativity dover books on physics. He explores illuminating paradoxes, including the famous twin paradox, the poleinthebarn paradox, and the loedel diagram, which is an accessible, graphic approach to relativity. The most famous work of einsteins life also dates from 1905 a busy year for him, when he applied the ideas of his relativity paper to come up with the equation emc2 that represents the relationship between mass m and energy e in a nutshell, einstein found that as an object approached the speed of light, c, the mass of the object increased. Buy understanding einsteins theories of relativity. Simple relativity is a 2d short educational animation film.
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