Product Description
Concise, well-written treatment of epochal theory of modern physics covers classical relativity and the relativity postulate, time dilation, the twin paradox, momentum and energy, particles of zero mass, electric and magnetic fields and forces and more. Only high school math needed. Replete with examples, ideal for self-study. Introduction. 70 illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (5)

Physics' approach to the Special Relativity
This book has a physics' approach to the Special Relativity. It starts with an overview of classical physics (Galileu transformations, energy and momentum conservation laws) and then by the simple concepts of Special Relativity (the Principle of Relativity, the constant speed of light, proper time, Lorentz contraction and simultaneity) - all using a very friendly physics' approach (instead of a math approach). More complex subjects are explained at the end of the book - including the new math of four-vectors and Lorentz invariants.

If you are a beginner in Special Relativity, this is the book for you.

This book as some flaws though:
- there is no chapter for Minkowski spacetime diagrams
- the chapter about the electro-magnetic field is a little bit poor
- some exercices regarding particle collisions are not very clear
- there are no solutions for the exercices (at least on the English edition)

Strong points of this book:
- explains Special Relativity from a Physics perspective (and not from a Math perspective)
- the new Math (four-vectors, four-scalars) is introduced only after the Physics concepts have been fully explained, so it is easier to understand it (and its utility)
- the basic concepts of Special Relativity are very well explained

Great book to get you going.. next stop General Relativity
This is a fine book on Special Relativity.All one needs is a grasp of algebra to follow the text.There are quite a few exercises at the end of each chapter.I specially like the fact that the author discusses the non-relativistic approach to a concept followed by the relativistic view.The chapters on Momentum and Energy and Particles of Zero Mass are plain excellent.

Since no calculus to speak of is used some of the "derivations" are quite awkard.But that is a minor cavil.If you are still in school and algebra is fresh on your mind, this book will be a breeze.If your algebra is rusty, journey on, albeit slowly.The reward at the end of the road is worth it!

Solutions to the exercises
If You want to have the worked out solutions to all the exercises in this book, get the french translation of this book at Amazon.fr.

A well-written introductory text that is easy to understand
I used this textbook in my first undergraduate relativity course, and it is still one of the best introductions to the subject that I have ever read.

While the book is aimed at second or third semester physicsstudents, the math is confined to straightforward algebra. Although thismakes the formalism a little less "neat" than in othertreatments, it makes the subject much more understandable, especially forreaders with less experience in higher mathematics.

The writing style iseasy to read, and there are many good explanations and worked-out examples.The "Twin Paradox", for example, is not only solved in itsentirety, but cross-checked using three different approaches, all of whichuse special relativity alone. The exercises in each chapter are wellchosen, and prompt the reader to understand the significance of theanswers.

I consider this to be one of the best undergraduate introductorytextbooks in relativity, and also recommend it to anyone with at least ahigh-school algebra background who wishes to learn more about thisfascinating subject.

Explained the topic well
Being a sophmore in high school I am taking a physics class.We had to learn about Special Relativity.It was a hard idea to grasp at first, but the book explained it well.I am very glad I came across the book.Theonly thing I would like different is for it to be not so wordy. ... Read more

Product Description
Special relativity is one of the high points of the undergraduate mathematical physics syllabus. Nick Woodhouse writes for those approaching the subject with a background in mathematics. He aims to build on their familiarity with the foundational material and the way of thinking taught in first-year mathematics courses, but not to assume an unreasonable degree of prior knowledge of traditional areas of physical applied mathematics, particularly electromagnetic theory. His book provides mathematics students with the tools they need to understand the physical basis of special relativity and leaves them with a confident mathematical understanding of Minkowski's picture of space-time. SPECIAL RELATIVITY is loosely based on the tried and tested course at Oxford, where extensive tutorials and problem classes support the lecture course. This is reflected in the book in the large number of examples and exercises, ranging from the rather simple through to the more involved and challenging. The author has included material on acceleration and tensors, and has written the book with an emphasis on space-time diagrams. Written with the second year undergraduate in mind, the book will appeal to those studying the 'Special Relativity' option in their Mathematics or Mathematics and Physics course. However, a graduate or lecturer wanting a rapid introduction to special relativity would benefit from the concise and precise nature of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A little mathematics goes a long way
This book requires only a working knowledge of linear algebra and multivariate calculus, and a basic understanding of classical mechanics and electromagnetism.

The author begins by providing a simple but general mathematical exposition of relative motion in classical mechanics. The next two chapters review Maxwell's equations and what they imply for the propagation of light. Having set the stage in this way, the axioms of Einstein's theory are introduced and their implications worked out mathematically, leading the reader to a clear understanding of Minkowski four-dimensional space time and the Lorentz transformation. The exposition is accompanied by a number of classic brainteasers in special relativity.

The weak spot (and hence only four stars) is the treatment of the mass-energy equivalence, which does not include a rigorous derivation of Einstein's famous formula E=mc^2, even though such a derivation is no more demanding mathematically or conceptually than the other issues discussed in the book.

In sum, this book should appeal to any mathematically literate non-physicist who wants more than just a superficial introduction of Einstein's special relativity.
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Customer Reviews (2)

The best book on special relativity?
This book is so good it's even worth the outrageous price it costs to obtain a copy of this hard to find classic. There's a lot here that's not in any other book on relativity. For example, the beautiful and original way Synge thinks about scattering. If you're like most physicists and think special relativity is either trivial or uninteresting ignore this book.

If you read this book carefully you will see that Synge is actually something of a heretic, and he actually appears to (indirectly) cast doubt on portions of both Quantum Mechanics and Newtonian Physics. Could Special Relativity offer another way past the well known blockades of the past 50 years in physics? This book offers tantalizing clues that that just might be the case.

Elegant Mathematical treatment of Special Relativity
This book is one of the only really rigorous treatments of Special Relativity. J.L. Synge presents the subject by first wiping out all of our previous notions of space and time, and introducing each very carefully ashe builds Special Relativity from scratch. It is recommended but notnecessary that the reader study his book "Tensor Calculus" bySynge and Schild, to get familiar with his mathematical method of teaching. Students will profit greatly by going through his book, and seeing how hedevelops his ideas mathematically. This is NOT an axiomatic mathematicaltreatment, so it is suitable for engineers, applied mathematicians and ofcourse physicists. The price - well that's another story. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on his successful work Special Relativity and Motions Faster than Light, Moses Fayngold has written a thorough presentation of the special theory of relativity. The unique feature of the textbook is its two-leveled structure helping students to master the material more effectively: the first level presents a qualitative discussion of a problem, while the second one contains its rigorous treatment. Fayngold points out the connection between fundamental principles and known phenomena. In three new chapters on 'Relativity at Work' (Electromagnetism, Optics, Quantum Mechanics), he not only shows what relativity is, but also how it works. The scope of new material extends to include a chapter on Causality and on Applied Relativity, including astrophysical and accelerator topics. Backed throughout by numerous examples and exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

From velocity and space-time to paradoxes and causality
Moses Fayngold's SPECIAL RELATIVITY AND HOW IT WORKS is an essential college-level textbook for any collection strong in physics. It's based on a successful work and offers an in-depth presentation of relativity using a two-level structure to help students through a blend of problem discussion and analysis. From velocity and space-time to paradoxes and causality, SPECIAL RELATIVITY AND HOW IT WORKS is an outstanding survey.

Many applications of Special Relativity
This book has many applications of Special Relativity. The formulas are developed de novo and then applied to many situations in mechanics, optics, electrodynamics and quantum mechanics. The paradoxes of Relativity are well discussed, e.g, the twin paradox. The explanations are concise and clear. This book is a good text to read after another more elementary book on the same subject entitled It's About Time by David Mermin. ... Read more

Product Description
The Special Theory of Relativity (STR) is the physical theory of measurement in inertial frames of reference proposed by Albert Einstein. It is deemed special because the theory or principle of relativity is applied only to inertial frames.

In this books, Prof Ghatak sets out and explains the basic physics behind Einstein's theory, and at the same time he gives the reader a concise, enthusiastic overview of Einstein's massive contribution to science and the knowledge of mankind.

In 1999, Time Magazine names Albert Einstein as 'The Person of the Century'. This book tells us why. The introduction deals with a summary of Einstein's work, Chapter One discusses Tiem Dilation and Length Contraction, Chapter Two deals with Mass-energy Relationship and Lorentz Tansformations, and Chapters Three and Four reproduce two of his original ground breaking papers from 1905.

'Special Theory of Relativity' can be read by physics and engineering undergraduates as a support text on their courses, but it is of equal interest to readers of general science and fans of Albert Einstein.

CONTENTS

Albert Einstein: A brief account of his numerous contributions Chapter 1: Special Theory of Relativity - Time Dilation and Length Contraction, Introduction, Speed of Light for a Moving Source, Time Dilation, The Mu-Meson Experiment, The Length Contraction, Understanding the Mu-Meson Experiment via Length Contraction, Length Contraction of a Moving Train, Simultaneity of two Events, The Twin Paradox, The Michelson Morley Experiment, Brief Historical Remarks Chapter 2: Special Theory of Relativity - Mass energy Relationship and Lorentz Transformations, Introduction, The Mass-energy Relationship, The Doppler Shift, The Lorentz Transformations, Addition of Velocities Chapter 3: On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies Chapter 4: Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon Its Energy-Content? Appendix A Equations Describing Galilean Transformation Appendix B Invariance of the Wave Equation under Lorentz Transformation

Anshan Publishers is a publisher of fine medical, scientific, and technical books.We find the best titles from our worldwide publishing partners and bring them to the global marketplace.

We publish in a wide range of fields, including:-

Biological Sciences
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Engineering
Material Science
Microbiology
Pure and Applied Physics
Pure and Applied Mathematics
Statistics ... Read more

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This engaging text takes the reader along the trail of light from Newton's particles to Einstein's relativity. Like the best detective stories, it presents clues and encourages the reader to draw conclusions before the answers are revealed. The first seven chapters cover the behavior of light, Newton's particle theory, waves and an electromagnetic wave theory of light, the photon, and wave-particle duality. Baierlein goes on to develop the special theory of relativity, showing how time dilation and length contraction are consequences of the two simple principles underlying the theory.An extensive chapter derives the equation E = mc2 clearly from first principles and then explores its consequences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book on modern physics for the layman
This book is clear and very interesting.It teaches the general idea of light and modern physics.It can be too simplistic at times for technically minded people. ... Read more

Product Description

The hacker's approach to Special Relativity grew out of an attempt to demystify the puzzling features of the theory to intelligent but intuition-blocked lay persons by a strategy aimed at this particular handicap:

1. The insufficiently understood basic concepts, the most obstinate stumbling blocks, are explained at length first.
2. The four-dimensional cornerstone of the theory, the all-important Invariant, is presented as a geometric structure analogous to the Diagonal of a box-like Frame of Reference to which Time is subsequently added as the Fourth Dimension.
3. The exposition of the theory of Special Relativity is primarily intuition-oriented while remaining also geometrically conceptualized and mathematically developed. It is built up from scratch around First Principles starting out with our primitive notions of Space, Time and Motion which are then continually updated and refined.
4. The conceptual tools and terminology for investigating Linear Motion at Uniform Velocity are provided in a step-by-step fashion and always visualized by suitable illustrations.
5. The Spacetime "terrain" (curved but not spherical) and its "domains" (Past, Present and Future) are defined, mapped and explained.
6. The standard topics of Special Relativity are individually elaborated in the already introduced step-by-step fashion and its mathematical results, the equations, are not just displayed in print as usually done in undergraduate textbooks but are actually derived from familiar situations using only elementary algebra, the simplest possible math for the task. These derivations are additionally written out fully in longhand for the benefit of those still inexperienced or whose math has all gone to rust.

The book and its intended readership are described in the Preface. Basic concepts and a brief historical background of the theory are given in the Introduction. In Chapters I-XV, you'll find the main topics and in the Postscript, there are additional comments pertinent to, but reaching above and beyond, the contents of this book. ... Read more

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From the reviews of the second edition: "It is the book par excellence for the nonrelativist who is at home with mathematics...What gives the book its outstanding quality is Professor Rindler's profound understanding of the ideas behind the formulas and his remarkable ability to share this understanding with the reader. In graceful prose he makes deep things simple. Under his guidance the basic concepts come vividly to life and acquire a force of their own so that the mathematics takes on a secondary role...With its combination of substantial mathematics, insight, and physical down-to-earthedness, the book is a delight in every way." American Mathematical Monthly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very well written
As a modern textbook in the theory of relativity, this book is rare, in that its goal is to give the reader a conceptual introduction to the theory, and not just mathematical formalism. The author also does not hesitate to include some philosophical argumentation wherever needed. It is written for the advanced undergraduate, and will prepare such a reader for more advanced reading in the subject.

The first chapter of the book is the best, for it is a comprehensive discussion of the origins of the theory of relativity as one that rejected the assertion that space and time were absolute. The author also gives an interesting historical discussion of Lorentz's ether theory, wherein Lorentz hypothesized that bodies moving through the ether undergo a contraction, and he discovered a time transformation that implied that clocks moving through the ether run slow. As the author points out, Lorentz thought such considerations were purely mathematical, and not important physically. In addition, in the section on Mach's principle, the author discusses briefly the work of Dennis Sciama who showed that the 1872 gravitational theory of F. Tisserand included Mach's principle. I was not aware of this work, and it motivated me to do further reading on the subject. The author also gives several examples to show that Mach's principle is not physically vacuous, but has observational consequences.

Chapter two overviews the kinematic consequences of the special theory of relativity. The most interesting part of this discussion was the section on the formulation of special relativity without assuming the invariance of the speed of light. The author shows that the principle of relativity implies that either all inertial frames are related by Galilean transformations, or all are related by Lorentz transformations with the same (postive) velocity (squared).

A discussion of optical effects follows in chapter 3. One unexpected and interesting result in this chapter is that a moving sphere has a circular outline to all observers because of length contraction.

Some of the mathematical formalism needed in special relativity is overviewed in chapter four. The class of four-vectors and four-tensors is defined, and the light cone geometry discussed in detail.

The relativistic mechanics of point particles is covered in chapter five. Such a theory is cast in the language of four-vectors, and the author explains nicely the mass-energy equivalence, analyzes scattering from a relativistic standpoint in the center of momentum frame, and shows how Newtonian mechanics is altered in the relativistic realm. He also spends a little time on relativistic continuum mechanics, via the energy tensor of the simplest continua: dust.

The connection between relativity and electrodynamics is outlined in chapter six. The material is standard and found in most books on relativity.

The author begins the study of general relativity in chapter seven with some elementary considerations of the differential geometry of curved surfaces and also Riemannian spaces. The author endeavors, rightfully, to explain the mathematics in a way that is intuitive as possible, rather than hitting the reader with highly abstract formalism.

He then presents the mathematica foundations of general relativity in chapter eight. After a brief review of tensor calculus, the author considers the gravitational field equations in a vacuum, emphasizing their nonlinearity. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the famous Schwarzschild solution. In addition, he considers a particular exact solution of the Einstein field equations in a vacuum, namely a plane-fronted gravitational wave. Although not physical, this solution illustrates some important properties of general gravitational radiation.

The author ends the book with a fairly detailed overview of cosmology. The difficulties in the pre-relativistic cosmology are discussed, one of the more interesting being the consideration of the Newtonian gravitational field inside a cavity resulting from the removal of a finite sphere from a static universe. Recognizing that Poisson's equation does not have a constant solution led to the alteration of the Newtonian potential and thus a modification of the Poisson equation. As the author observes, this move to get a static Newtonian universe is formally the same as what Einstein did via the introduction of the cosmological constant in his field equations (also to get a static universe). The author also considers the Robertson-Walker, Milne, and Friedman universe, and compares these to what is known observationally.

Relativity in the style of Feynman's Lectures
This is a wonderful book, very amusing and thought provoking. Without trying to be comprehensive, it sheds much light on the basics of the theory, as well as of the mathematics. His discussion of Mach's principle is brilliant, and ends with a proposal of an experiment to test it with satellites! Very good at computations too, boasting tables for computing the curvature tensorfrom the metric tensor which are very useful.

subtle approach to SR and GR
Although not the most comprehesive text on the subject (see Thorne's tome, Gravitation), Essential Relativity is perhaps the most fulfilling book from which to learn both special and general relativity on a graduate school level. Flipping through the pages, one cannot help but notice that it often reads like a novel. For the student or the adventurous, a wide variety of problems are found in an appendix. The author's background in differential geometry is very evident in his excellent explanations of difficult concepts. ... Read more

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The first completely geometric approach to relativity theory, based on the space-time geometries of Loedel and Brehme. Topics include time, space, Lorentz transformation, electricity and magnetism, form invariance, experimental evidence, much more. Accessible to undergraduates. Problems. Reprint of 1968 edition.
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Second Year Calculus: From Celestial Mechanics to Special Relativity covers multi-variable and vector calculus, emphasizing the historical physical problems which gave rise to the concepts of calculus. The book carries us from the birth of the mechanized view of the world in Isaac Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy in which mathematics becomes the ultimate tool for modelling physical reality, to the dawn of a radically new and often counter-intuitive age in Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity in which it is the mathematical model which suggests new aspects of that reality. The development of this process is discussed from the modern viewpoint of differential forms. Using this concept, the student learns to compute orbits and rocket trajectories, model flows and force fields, and derive the laws of electricity and magnetism. These exercises and observations of mathematical symmetry enable the student to better understand the interaction of physics and mathematics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Mediocre, Low-Caliber Textbook
I regard this as a mediocre and second-rate textbook that lacks the necessary depth, breadth, and formality expected of a calculus text. The table of content certainly lists all the essential headlines of introductory vector calculus. But, virtually every single topic seems to exist only in the most minimal form and amount. Things are just "dumb-ed down" and presented in as few words - and as simplistically - as possible.

Having said that, there may be circumstances where some people actually find the book useful specifically because of its watered-down and simple-minded nature.

Almost without exception, in-text examples are trivial cases of plug-n-chug for the immediately preceding equation/discussion. I read more than 75% of the book and I saw very few good examples that are thoughtful and illustrate interesting or special cases, or bring out subtleties.Most (but not all) of the end-of-section exercises that I sampled are equally uninspiring and unimaginative, "busy-work" type of problems.

I got interested in this book because it claimed to develop the subject in close connection with problems from Mechanics. Well, while this material has some value, it is again so thin that it's hardly special.

Clearest intro to Multivariable Calculus and Differential Forms
I do not know another book that presents Differential Forms and their usage in the framework of Calculus better than this one. (I've looked at several.) A lot of the other bookspresent this material at a high level that loses the reader in ten pages or less. Professor Bressoud's book, by contrast, is a model of the clarity that I would love to see more Math Book writers adopt.
The subject is potentially confusing because the notation of first-year calculus -- dx, dy, dz -- is here used in a way, and with a revised meaning, that you may not have seen before. Bressoud takes the time to EXPLAIN Forms to the reader carefully, and in sufficient detail, to be understood. Heeven explicitly warns the reader about situationsin which the new notation may cause confusion, given the new usage. ( in multiple vs iterated integrals, for example ).
It's clear enough to be used for self-study. Strongly recommended. After you finish thebook, you will be in a position to tackle a moreextended treatment, such as H. Edward's Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach.
But do start with this book.

formulaic formalism
The author appears to be terminally addicted to
reams of calculation without much in the way of
motivation.Take the section on celestial mechanics
(please), which is one of the worst I have ever seen.
He has page after page of relentless calculations
which would leave the uninitiated reader utterly
lost in this dense mess.Much more to the point
would be an appropriate diagram to illustrate this
highly visual subject.Sadly, the author remains
stuck in his LH method of exposition and seems not
to grasp when to bring in geometry to aid and abet
the raft of algebraic manipulations.

The emphasis is on working out problems . . .
I agree with the review of "gsibbery" (Baton Rouge, LA)

Chapters:
1 F=ma
2 Vector Algebra
3 Celestial Mechanics
4 Differential Forms
5 Line Integrals, Multiple Integrals
6 Linear Transformations
7 Differential Calculus
8 Integration by Pullback
9 Techniques of Differential Calculus
10 The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
11 E=mc^2

Plus a great collection of problems!

Calculus For Physics Students
Ok, for all those of you out there who always wanted to learn the math that you need to know to be able to do some really fun physics, THIS IS IT!Most introductions to "higher mathematics" tend to berather impractical and largely useless and uninteresting topics (to thephysical scientist) such as set theory or abelian group theory, but thisbook really delivers. The emphasis is on working out problems . . . thereis some theory, but this is really meant for engineers and physicistsrather than for mathematicians who are interested in theory alone. You needa very solid grounding in first year calculus before you even think ofbeginning this course. But once you get going, the topics that areintroduced include: multiple integrals, vectors, differential forms(including tensors), and continues in this fashion until the last chapterson electromagnetics, celestial mechanics and special relativity. Now, thisis not an easy book, but unlike many math texts that I have seen, it is byno means impossible to learn all own your own. Thus, if something thatreally interest you in the classroom is not covered, then this book wouldmake a great supplement. It is superb for self-study and contains most ofwhat you need to know to begin studying real physics and more advancedparactical mathematics. I can't thank Dr. Bressoud enough for writing thismuch-needed book! I only wish that I could give in ten stars instead ofonly five! ... Read more

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Product Description
Analyzes Einstein's paper On the electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, which was published in 1905. The author uses the paper to provide a window into the intense intellectual struggles of physicists in the first decade of the 20th century. Paper. DLC: Relativity (Physics) - History. ... Read more

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Special and General Relativity are concisely developed together with essential aspects of nuclear and particle physics. Problem sets are provided for many chapters, making the book ideal for a course on the physics of white dwarf and neutron star interiors. Norman K. Glendenning is Senior Scientist Emeritus at the Nuclear Science Division, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books.

Product Description
In 1905, Albert Einstein offered a revolutionary theory--special relativity--to explain some of the most troubling problems in current physics concerning electromagnetism and motion. Soon afterwards, Hermann Minkowski recast special relativity essentially as a new geometric structure for spacetime. These ideas are the subject of the first part of the book. The second part develops the main implications of Einstein's general relativity as a theory of gravity rooted in the differential geometry of surfaces. The author explores the way an individual observer views the world and how a pair of observers collaborate to gain objective knowledge of the world. To encompass both the general and special theory, he uses the geometry of spacetime as the unifying theme of the book. To read it, one needs only a first course in linear algebra and multivariable calculus and familiarity with the physical applications of calculus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Excellent and will never find better !
This book is a terasure in its own right !
everything is explained using diagrams, figures with simplicity and rigor.
you will never feel you got lost anywhere. Although the introduction to tensors is limited, the application of Fermi coordinates is great although I would have expected to see the actual derivation of vacuum equations as einstein first wrote it .
The proofs are excellent. The application, though limited but clearly exposed.

A great intermediate level book.
We all get an initial taste of relativity in Freshman/Sophomore physics. But where to go next can be a problem.If you like the math accompanying your physics a bit more rigorous than "hand waving", this is a great book.I tried Schutz's book but didn't find the math self contained or rigorous, while trying to jump into Wald's graduate level text on General relativity was way too much to soon.This book strikes a good balance between the physics and the math. Nice coverage of the Lorentz transformation and the invariance of Maxwell's equations under it. Minkowski space time and "hyperbolic" geometry (nice review of hyperbolic functions in analogy with trigonometric functions). And a self contained introduction to differential geometry (as applied to general relativity).I'm finding this great for self study.

Great for learning how to actually use the math behind GR
This book is great for teaching the math behind GR using excellent examples from Math and Physics problems (for another great problem solver see also Schaum's Outline of Tensor Calculus, but this has less Physics). It is a bit long winded, spending alot of time on SR and in some place just over the top (for Physicists!), but once through it there should be no problem going to the more advanced texts which deal with more of the uses of GR. At the same level I would also recommend Schutz's First Course in GR, however, Callahan's book goes through and explains the use of the math better, whereas Schutz's is better for uses in GR, surprisingly this is the strength of Callahan's book: you can't really do the Physics properly unless you can do the math! After this it's on to more Physics orientated books like Carroll's excellent Introduction to GR, as a stepping stone to MTW's Gravitation and Wald's GR.

One of the best.
This is one of the best introduction to General Relativity. It is the most accessible introduction to differential geometry. Naturally you have to know calculus, linear algebra, and the basics of special relativity. I bought many books on the subject, and this one belengs to the set I suggest for self-learning.

Disappointing
I've only read the first third in detail, but so far this book is frankly disappointing. The treatment is lightweight and padded out with verbiage, some of it oddly off-key. What math or physics student at this level needs (for example) an elementary account of the properties of hyperbolic functions? Spacetime diagrams are drawn with the time axis horizontal, which is something I've never seen in any other relativity text. Okay, it's a minor point, but I found this and similar nonstandard usages a constant irritant. More seriously, the development of relativistic momentum and covariance in chap.3 is quite incoherent, and the definition of 4-velocity is WRONG (at least, by everyone else's standards - it isn't even a 4-vector). There are plenty of exercises, which is good, but no solutions at all - not even outlines - which is not so good.

The book takes over three hundred pages to get to general relativity (where there seems to be no mention of the equivalence principle!), and I doubt if it's worth the effort. You would do better to work through Foster & Nightingale's 'Short Course in General Relativity', which is a first-rate and accessible introduction if you have a little background in special relativity. And it's two-thirds the price.

Conclusion: There may be a good book waiting to be written on these lines, but I'm sorry to say this isn't it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a first course in relativity. ... Read more

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This book provides an easy route into special relativity for first and second year university students studying physics.The subjects that cause students difficulty, such as time-dilation, are delayed to allow the establishment of confidence that the greater part of relativity is easy to understand and apply correctly. This essential textbook should be of great interest to all undergraduate physics students and their lecturers. ... Read more

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"Relativity in Curved Spacetime" attempts to reexamine the philosophical and practical basis of relativity theory, in the light of the "modern" idea that perhaps spacetime curvature may be an essential part of what makes the universe work. This isn't the way that relativity theory is usually taught. Some of the material is "popular" (chapter 17, on cosmology, seems to go down well with readers), and almost everything that most people will need to know about relativity theory is contained in the first four chapters. There are also separate chapters on various relativistic effects, the Newtonian catastrophe in the early Nineteenth Century, black holes, quantum mechanics, and chapters exploring what may be wrong with both Einstein's special and general theories. The later chapters deal with logic and "logical black holes" (logical systems that, once entered, offer no way out), and apply quantum principles to describe how tightly-organised systems (both mathematical and social) can go horribly wrong - including "Titanic syndrome", why computers crash, and why "Pi" is a "stupid" number. The book has something in the region of 250 diagrams and illustrations. "Here Baird presents physics with the clarity of one who truly understands what he is talking about." - www.ForewordMagazine.com/Clarion/"Anyone fascinated with relativity, or seeking a deeper understanding of the subject will profit from reading Relativity in Curved Spacetime." - www.Bookreview.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Non mainstream
I bought this book in the hope to get an introduction and overview to (general) relativity. I got disappointed as this turned out to be a book about Baird's own pet concepts about relativity. Concepts that don't get explained in any depth, but rather stay at the level of generic remarks.

If you want to learn about Einstein's special and/or general relativity: don't buy this book. If you want to read about alternative approaches outside mainstream physics: go ahead.

This book is excellent!
In this excellent discussion of relativity theory, Eric Baird introduces the reader to the history and practice of relativity theory, jauntily condensing and critiquing centuries of research as he builds his accompanying argument: that Albert Einstein's 1905 flat-spacetime special theory cannot be fully reconciled with emerging concepts of curved spacetime, and that a more general and flexible theory is required to account for the paradoxes and pseudo paradoxes implicit in Special Relativity.

Eyes glazing over already? Take heart. The book opens with a lucid and understandable primer on "Background" physics, introducing us neophytes to the central actors of the relativity drama: light, gravity, space, time and relativity itself. Once thus fortified, the reader is then prepared to penetrate denser matter. Although it can be slow going at times, the work proves surprisingly readable, and is mapped so that you can easily move back and forth in the text to refresh your understanding. It is also beautifully referenced and indexed so that you can check out Baird's many distinguished sources. Dozens of little illustrations, graphs and diagrams can be found throughout, providing excellent aids for conceptualization. In addition, Baird ornaments his discussions and section introductions with lively and thought-provoking quotes from scientists, poets, Lewis Carroll, and even Peter Sellers' obtuse detective Inspector Clouseau.

With Baird as our guide, we dopple through the workshop of quantum mechanics, navigate the vortices of black holes, explore the nooks and cranies of theory past and present, and join in the mysterious dance of the observer and the observed. Along the way, Baird postulates plausible flaws in the theories of physics giants like Issac Newton and Albert Einstein, and sheds light on the sometimes subjective manner in which scientific theory has historically evolved. A special target is Einstein's work, in particular the critical dependence of Einstein's Special Relativity theory on the assumption of flat-space time. "What if a general theory of relativity is not reducible to Einstein's original 1905 theory?" Baird asks. It is a question of some gravity.

All this, of course, can be somewhat consciousness warping for those of us who nearly failed physics 101. Fortunately, for all those brave enough to plunge in and persist, Baird has written a lucid primer on contemporary physics and relativity theory, which any attentive layperson can digest. At the same time he makes his case for "Life without Special Relativity" in language that is transparent, and enlightening. Whether you agree with him or not, you will know a lot more about physics when you finish this book than you did when you picked it up. Anyone fascinated with relativity, or seeking a deeper understanding of the subject will profit from reading Relativity in Curved SpaceTime.

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Based on courses taught at the University of Dublin, Carnegie Mellon University, and mostly at Simon Fraser University, this book presents the special theory of relativity from a mathematical point of view. It begins with the axioms of the Minkowski vector space and the flat spacetime manifold. Then it discusses the kinematics of special relativity in terms of Lorentz tranformations, and treats the group structure of Lorentz transformations. Extending the discussion to spinors, the author shows how a unimodular mapping of spinor (vector) space can induce a proper, orthochronous Lorentz mapping on the Minkowski vector space. The second part begins with a discussion of relativistic particle mechanics from both the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian points of view. The book then turns to the relativistic (classical) field theory, including a proof of Noether's theorem and discussions of the Klein-Gordon, electromagnetic, Dirac, and non-abelian gauge fields. The final chapter deals with recent work on classical fields in an eight-dimensional covariant phase space. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The math behind the theory
This is the most mathematically rigorous text I've found on this subject.The many examples the author uses makes it both easy and fun to understand. ... Read more

Product Description
While the theory of special relativity is often associated with the idea of traveling faster than light, this book shows that in all these cases subtle forces of nature conspire to prevent these motions being harnessed to send signals faster than the speed of light.
The author tackles these topics both conceptually, with minimal or no mathematics, and quantitatively, making use of numerous illustrations to clarify the discussion. The result is a joy to read for both scientists familiar with the subject and laypeople wishing to understand something of special relativity.
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Customer Reviews (4)

A real gem of a book
This book starts out with the usual basics of special relativity such as Lorentz transformations. It goes on to deal in some depth with such fascinating phenomena as the possibility of faster than light (superluminal) motion and the existence of especially strange particles called tachyons. Moses Fayngold accomplishes quite a feat by successfully combining the style of a popular science book with the real content of a textbook. I am an avid reader of science books (of all kinds) and I have rarely come across such a wonderful example of scientific writing. Dr. Fayngold displays a thorough understanding of educational techniques. While popular science books can be inspiring, they never leave me feeling like I have gained any actual knowledge. Textbooks, on the other hand, while full of details, lack the ability to instill a wonder at the universe that a well written popular science book can achieve. This book gives explanations of the phenomena as well as any textbook but the details are immersed in a big picture analysis that makes it worthwhile to work through the formulas and details. Reading it gave me the kind of thrill at the complexity and beauty of our universe which I only get out of popular science books. At the same time, I felt that I learned the subject at an equal depth as I would in a college course. I loved the light (unintimidating) narration tone and the little instructive tales used to illustrate the concepts. I would highly recommend this book both for personal education reading and as a textbook companion for a physics course.

A well written book!
This is a very well written book as well as very interesting and accurate.

Special Relativity and Motions Faster than Light
Everybody knows that motion of objects with the speed faster than light is impossible.
Dr. Moses Fayngold wrote a 309-page book about superluminal motions. Not a science fiction work, not a fantasy, but a book on special relativity written by a theoretical physicist, an expert in this field. It is as serious and accurate as a scientific journal publication, and as absorbing and entertaining as a good scientific popularization. Among hundreds books on relativity this one is special. It covers a variety of topics, including the most recent ones that could not always be found in the classical publications. I read it with increasing interest, gave it to my colleagues, and would recommend it to both professionals and students.
Many will be surprised to find in the book something they had not even thought about. I am sure that the book will have more editions.

Prof. Edward Parilis
California Institute of Technology

New Book on Special Relativity
This book is a rare example of the treatment that is profoundly instructive and enjoyable to read.In it the features of a reading book for educated laymen blend successfully with rigorousness and depth of a monograph for professional scientists. Intriguing and thought provoking, it can be used by students to learn basic principles of the theory of relativity, and by physics teachers to illustrate these principles and analyze their implications before any student audience.
In many discussions of the theory of relativity there is only a brief mentioning about motions faster than light. This produced a spectrum of speculations, including a widespread and totally misleading opinion among many that such motions are impossible in principle.
Moses Fayngold gives a brilliant discussion of superluminal motions and shows how they relate to the theory. Some of the problems discussed by him are unique and cannot be found in any other book.
I would recommend "Relativity and Motions Faster than Light" to anyone who wants to get a deep understanding of one of the cornerstones of Modern Physics. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive introduction to the theory of special relativity for undergraduates. ... Read more