Product Description
Thoroughly revised and updated, this self-contained textbook provides a pedagogical introduction to relativity. It covers the most important features of special as well as general relativity, and considers more difficult topics, such as charged pole-dipole particles, Petrov classification, groups of motions, gravitational lenses, exact solutions and the structure of infinity. The necessary mathematical tools are provided, most derivations are complete, and exercises are included where appropriate. The bibliography lists the original papers and also directs the reader to useful monographs and review papers. Previous Edition Hb(1990): 0-521-37066-3 Previous Edition Pb(1990): 0-521-37941-5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good general purpose book on GTR
I bought this because my copy of Misner Thorne & Wheeler was in a box 1400 miles away, and i wanted to toy around with some ideas in GTR.I needed a good text on GTR, not a watered-down no-math pop-level book, not a specialized research monograph omitting the basics, nota math formulas reference with no more content than an average cheat sheet, but something for those who already are familiar with GTR but lacking any of the usual academic works in their personal library. This book served my purpose perfectly.It comes with some bonuses - a better explanation of Petrov classification than i had seen anywhere else, more on electromagnetics and stress-energy tensors than i was shopping for, and conveniently sized to carry easily about town along with other stuff, something i can't say for the classic MT&W.

I imagine this would be an okay book for someone who doesn't knowGTR but has already studied special relativity and is comfortable with senior undergraduate level physics.GTR is by nature a mind-bending subject, and a total newbie may want to get a taste of the main ideas elsewhere.MT&W, in contrast, is full of illustrations, exercises, and other goodies that make it an excellent choice for GTR beginners.Wald's book on General Relativity is another good choice, but my copy of this too is 1400 miles away...

Good features of this book are that it does not loose the physics behind a forest of math, and that it touches on many important areas - gravitational waves, the Kerr metric, tensor maths, cosmology.None in too much depth - but enough to understand the key concepts and see how different areas of general relativity are related.The bibliography seems shortish but appears sufficient for further pursuits.Some areas not covered include alternatives to GTR, string theory, quantization of GTR. Spinors are mentionedbriefly; if one is interested in this important topic, Penrose & Rindler should be your destination.

There is no mention of the weak or strong energy conditions in the index.Perhaps these are mentioned somewhere, but the reader wanting to study this vital topic is better off with the book by Wald.

One area that could stand improvement are the exercises.There are exercised, but it would be nice to have more.A student relying on this book alone might end up feeling underexercised, wanting to pump more mental iron elsewhere.More numerical/quantitative exercises to give a feel for how much, how strong are special relativistic and GTR effects in everday and astrophysical applications, would be especially beneficial to this book's usefulness in an undergraduate course context.When used as a reference text, though, such exercises are not important; given my purpose, i am not disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
Einstein's theory of general relativity is a theory of gravity and, as in the earlier Newtonian theory, much can be learned about the character of gravitation and its effects by investigating particular idealized examples. This book describes the basic solutions of Einstein's equations with a particular emphasis on what they mean, both geometrically and physically. New concepts, such as big bang and big crunch-types of singularities, different kinds of horizons and gravitational waves, are described in the context of the particular space-times in which they naturally arise. These notions are initially introduced using the most simple and symmetric cases. Various important coordinate forms of each solution are presented, thus enabling the global structure of the corresponding space-time and its other properties to be analyzed. The book is an invaluable resource both for graduate students and academic researchers working in gravitational physics. ... Read more

Product Description
"The influence of Einstein's contributions on so many branches of physics is such that if one wanted to describe its full extent, it would be hard to know where to begin. His work and discoveries...are so fundamental that each achievement alone would have guaranteed him a prominent place in the history of physics. But what brought him unprecedented fame outside his own discipline is undoubtedly his theory of relativity, which revolutionized the old, established Newtonian picture of space, time, and gravitation."—Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, from the Introduction

This volume, an abridged version of our cloth, slipcased edition, presents one of the most influential scientific documents of the twentieth century: Albert Einstein's exposition of the theory of relativity. Each of the seventy-two handwritten pages are reproduced and are accompanied by an English translation of the original German text.

A tribute to Einstein's genius, Einstein's 1912 Manuscript on the Special Theory of Relativity opens with a brief essay by Hanoch Gutfreund, a chronology of Einstein's life, a selection of quotes by Einstein, and, to introduce the manuscript, a detailed description of the manuscript, its contents, publication history, and provenance. The manuscript pages themselves then follow, reproduced in full color, with the English translation facing each page.

Subtle variations in paper and ink are clearly visible in the excellent reproductions, indicating where and when Einstein drafted certain parts. Because the manuscript shows extensive reworking, it reveals Einstein's thought processes more than any other of his handwritten works.

Providing a glimpse into one of the greatest minds of the last century, Einstein's 1912 Manuscript is for anyone fascinated by Einstein and the impact of his revolutionary theory. 72 color pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The Centenary Tribute to Einstein and his Special Theory of Relavitity
The book I have is the hard back version (rather than this, the paperback version) that contains actual Photostat facsimiles of Einstein's 1912 manuscript on the special theory of relativity. It is a beautifully bound and boxed book (12 by 18 inches) that has Einstein's signature engraved in gold on the cover. Up through part three, at which time the mathematical equations and diagrams (in Einstein's own hand writing) are introduced, are full-page professional photographs of the great Scientist as he aged from 1912 until his death in 1955.

The body of the text consists of a series of one-page tributes to Einstein by his closest friends and colleagues, mostly from his twenty-two years at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. It also contains a page of his most famous quotations on politics, peace and war, as well as in the main body, the aforementioned facsimile of the paper presented in 1912. The Photostats contain both Einstein's actual hand-written equations and diagrams, accompanied by notes with annotations and explanations in German. Opposite each page of the facsimile, are English translations of the annotations and commentaries on the equations as they evolve. These are provided either by the author or by a select group of Physicists familiar both with Einstein himself and who are experts in the field and areas being discussed.

What is most beautiful about this book is not just the tributes to Einstein given in the introduction, but also, the rich discussions and annotations that serve to summarize for the reader Einstein the Scientist, the Humanist, and Zionist.Among the things contained in the introduction is the content of the letters from Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion offering Einstein the Presidency of Israel, and Einstein's letter of rejection. In part two are the thoughts and reminiscences by his close friends and colleagues. Part three begins with a select collection of the great professor's most famous quotes, and then provides a chronology of his life. Afterwards, part four then provides an overview of the Special Theory. Part five establishes the provenance of this manuscript as the oldest surviving autograph manuscript by Einstein on the Special Theory of Relativity; it is the most substantial and significant surviving scientific manuscript written by Einstein during the period of his greatest creativity.

What is most striking about this manuscript (which for me, was the ultimate Christmas present) is the fact that up through the tensor calculus (page 36 and beyond) Einstein's explanations are accessible to a reader with a minimum of a strong second course in calculus up through the tensors. After that, when Einstein himself begins to struggle with the geometric implications of his own theory, the mathematics become a bit more challenging. Despite this even beyond this point, there is an orderly progression through the concepts and problems the great professor faced. As a result, a great deal can be gleaned by reading between the lines and (between the equations even if they cannot be fully understood) from Einstein's own annotations and commentaries, from his "strike-outs and rewrites, as well as from the explanations and accompanying commentaries provided by the author and other Einstein colleagues.

Although a bit pricey (the hard back is almost $300US dollars) for those only interested in SR the paperback (a tenth the price) is probably well word the price. I plan to buy the paperback too just to see if there are any differences. However, for Einstein lovers like myself, this book is the ultimate collectors item.100 stars

A Unique Book
The formatting of this book - such that you can see the actual handwritten manuscript, gives a unique insight into the thought process of Einstein. I think that anyone with a bit of calculus and physics (vector calculus is a must) will gain something worthwhile from the paper as a whole and from the hand-written copy in particular. I haven't spent too much time learning relativity and as such this was a difficult read for me, but I think that it is a particularly interesting look into of of humanity's greatest minds.

Einstein's notes
There are many beautiful elements fot hsi book:

1. The opening of the book has qotations of life observed from Einstein that have nothing to do with physics or math. They are priceless.

2. The layout is such that on the right --you have the actual notebook ledger in Einstein's handwriting. On the right, there is typed text, clearly defining what the text is.

The large layout of this book is done very well and is a treat to anyone who wants to see the details of this man's mind in action.

A very nice gift
This book contains a facsimile of the hand written draft of the original relativity paper by Albert Einstein. The quality of the facsimile is great, and it is quite interesting to see the corrections made by A.E. to the draft.

The paper itself is surprisingly readable as the mathematical notation used is still very much current. Reading the paper requires first-year calculus and physics, so this book is definitely not for everybody.

The left side of the page contains a translation in English of the facsimile of the original in German, which appears on the right side of the page. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (17)

Ancient and Obsolete
The beauty of general relativity (GR) lies in the connection it provides between geometry and physics.Weinberg's algebraic approach completely obscures this connection.Instead Weinberg teaches how to crank through complex calculations without any insight or geometric intuition.It is a fairly good book when compared to Misner-Thorne-Wheeler (another ancient text).However, by modern standards, Weinberg's book leaves much to be desired.Having been published in 1972, the book lacks modern examples in cosmology and quantum gravity.It also lacks a proper introduction to differential geometry and makes no mention of topology or other mathematical ideas prevalent in current GR research.In the 35 years since its publication, it has been surpassed by many much better books.For an excellent introduction to GR, read Carroll's book.For a more rigorous study of GR read Wald's book.For an easy introduction to GR, read Schutz's book.

Unique,IdiosyncraticApproach
Flashback to 1979.I Purchased Weinberg's Gravitation book and
Misner,Thorne, Wheeler's Gravitation book, simultaneously. Back then it took four weeks to get hold of a book by mail. The waiting made it all the more special when the books finally arrived. I still have those same two worn copies. Still re-read each. Sure, they are different viewpoints of General Relativity.
But, how greatly they both enrich the world. Together, those two
books started a pedagogic revolution. Weinberg has no
equal,cherish this book. Cherish MTW, also.

A great book by a great physicist
This is the bestbook written on general relativity, and I have read or at least looked at nearly every one of them. It is better than Wald's book because Steven Weinberg is a better physicist than Robert Wald. The only people who will not be pleased with it are those mathematicians who are looking to physics for elegant mathematics and not for physical insight.

A virtue of this book is that so far as I can see Weinberg has thought through general relativity for himself, and he has worked through all of the derivations himself - certainly the ones that I have checked - rather than quoting others.
This is not always the case for books in physics. Weinberg is careful, and I have yet to find an error in the book.

Old book that is hostile to the spirt of G.R.
There was a time when this book was probably very authoritative and useful (though I can't see myself preferring it over Hawking and Ellis, even then).Put it out of your mind: that time is gone.There are a slew of much better, much more modern books out there.Furthermore, this book is written from a perspective that attempts to filter a huge chunk of the geometry out of G.R., sullying a lot of the beauty of Einstein's central idea.If you are interested in cosmology, you can do a lot better looking at Hawking and Ellis, or one of the more recent books that will, due to their newness, emphasize the numerous advances in cosmology since the 70s.If you are interested in Relativity, PLEASE look at Schutze (beginner) or at Wald (graduate).Don't waste time and energy on this book.

That being said, there are some interesting advanced topics here, and a few things that I haven't seen elsewhere.This can be a useful reference for a researching relativist.

Elegantly and concisely written
I used this book in a class taught by its author. That makes it hard to disentangle the experience of taking the class from the book itself. However, I found this far more readable that Misner, Thorne, & Wheeler's ponderous tome. As enjoyable as I found Taylor & Wheeler's Spacetime Physics (written in a similar style), MTW is leaden in contrast to Weinberg's text. I had no problem with the notation: the rules for manipulating indices are quite straightforward and easy to apply. Furthermore, this is the notation used in a variety of other applications of tensors, from electrodynamics to mechanics (stress and moment of inertia tensors), so get used to it. As other reviewers have observed, one cannot help but think that MTW could have been edited down considerably; Weinberg's book is much tighter. ... Read more

Product Description

The most important question that is addressed in this book is "what is the nature (the ontological status) of spacetime?" or, equivalently, "what is the dimensionality of the world at the macroscopic level?" The answer to this question is developed via a thorough analysis of relativistic effects and explicitly asking whether the objects involved in those effects are three-dimensional or four-dimensional. This analysis clearly shows that if the world and the physical objects were three-dimensional, none of the kinematic relativistic effects and the experimental evidence supporting them would be possible. The implications of this result for physics, philosophy, and our entire world view are discussed. This new edition has been significantly expanded with new sections, appendices, notes and references. The arguments of the previous edition are strengthened; new developments in the field are presented and integrated to yield a thoroughly convincing and clear treatment.

Customer Reviews (2)

Clear, deep, just excellent
In almost all books about Special Relativity, the foundations are presented without explanation, just in a dogmatic way or as results of the disagreement between experience and theory and calculationsstart with students full of doubts, getting them crazy aboutof "what time is what?", "what velocity is what?, etc.

This book follows another totally different way, building Special Relativity step by step, using deep thinking and squeezing the internal coherence of the theoretical physics and comparing with experience, getting a grasp in the new ideas that is always desired.

Petkovdevelopsnew interpretations and shed new lightto a subject that is usually presented as something rather bored, old fashioned and just a matter of academic exercise.

This way allows self learning and is ideal for teaching. The discussion of the implications of Galilean postulates is just beautiful and the philosophical implications are profound and coherent.
I use this text when I teach Special Relativity and usually spend four or six hours discussing the ideas there presented and I am sure that my students not only can calculate but they know what they are calculating.

Dr. Carlos Leiva

A review
I teach cosmology, therefore I found this book very useful. The examples and pictures are so suggestive that it its easy to understand almost every hard consequences of relativity. ... Read more

Product Description
General relativity is now essential to the understanding of modern physics, but the power of the theory cannot be exploited fully without a detailed knowledge of its mathematical structure.This book aims to implement this structure, and then to develop those applications that have been central to the growth of the theory. ... Read more

Product Description
In this Second Edition of his investigation into the relative nature of social deviance and how the public perceives it, author John Curra demonstrates that what qualifies as deviance varies from place to place, time to time, and situation to situation. Through thought-provoking examples that include the blue people of Kentucky, a woman who believes she is a vampire, autoerotic asphyxiators, and others, Curra illustrates that deviance cannot be explained in terms of absolutes, nor can it be understood apart from its social setting. This insightful book approaches sex, violence, theft, suicide, drugs, and mental disorders in such a way that definitive or objective judgments become impossible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Deviance explained
Not only did I study this book, I had the opportunity to learn from the author himself, John Curra.The book is very explanatory and easy to follow.It is recent and covers every area of social deviance.It is short and is very helpful in many aspects.The author is thorough and uses many real-life examples to get his point across.The book is definitely recommended to get an overall interpretation of such issues like alcoholism and rape. ... Read more

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
The prediction of the special theory of relativity differ significantly from those of Newtonian physics only for bodies whose speeds are comparable with the speed of light. For this reason, special relativity is often considered as irrelevant to the macroscopic physics of ordinary material systems under terrestrial conditions. The aim of this book is to show that by uniting dynamics, thermodynamics and electromagnetism into a coherent whole, special relativity illuminated each of these subjects in a manner which cannot be obtained by studying them in isolation. The speed of the systems concerned is irrelevant. This deep and careful analysis of special relativity is suitable for second- and subsequent- year university students studying physics or applied mathematics. Its distinctive approach will also appeal to research workers in general relativity, in continuum thermodynamics and in the electrodynamics of continuous media. ... Read more

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THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY IN the days before Copernicus the earth was, so it seemed, an immovable foundation on which the whole structure of the heavens was reared. Man, favourably situated at the hub of the univers~, might well expect that to him the scheme of nature would unfold itself in its simplest aspect. But the behaviour of the heavenly bodies was not at all simple; and the planets literally looped the loop in fantastic curves called epicycles. The cosmogonist had to fill the skies with spheres revolving upon spheres to bear the planets in their appointed orbits; and wheels were .added to wheels until the music of the spheres seemed wellnigh drowned in a discord of whirling machinery. Then came one of the great revolutions of scientific thought, which swept aside the Ptolem~ic system of spheres and epicycles, and revealed the simple plan of the solar system which has endured to this day. The revolution consisted in changing the view-point from which the phenom

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org ... Read more

Product Description
General relativity is now an essential part of undergraduate and graduate courses in physics, astrophysics and applied mathematics. This simple, user-friendly introduction to relativity is ideal for a first course in the subject. Beginning with a comprehensive but simple review of special relativity, the book creates a framework from which to launch the ideas of general relativity. After describing the basic theory, it moves on to describe important applications to astrophysics, black hole physics, and cosmology. Several worked examples, and numerous figures and images, help students appreciate the underlying concepts. There are also 180 exercises which test and develop students' understanding of the subject. The textbook presents all the necessary information and discussion for an elementary approach to relativity. Password-protected solutions to the exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521735612. ... Read more

Product Description
A new edition of this introduction to modern physics, provides new material on the most recent experimental tests in relativity, and a fuller treatment of the space-time interval and the Kennedy-Thorndike experiment. It treats the quantum theory of specific heats, with material on synchrotron radiation, a modernized treatment of the electron microscope and a preview of quantum mechanics. Features include additional historical, philosophical and biographical material reflecting important published research of the past decade, along with a significant expansion - nearly double - in the number of problems, thought questions and worked-out examples. The book also includes references, summary tables and illustrations. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (12)

Compelling Book!
This book was selected as my summer reading book for my junior year. I'm glad I picked this one! This book is excellent. It makes you think of people who live on the streets as more then bums asking for change.

==Below this point will contain spoilers==
This book follows the main character Dylan and how he's kicked out of his house and forced to live on the streets. Dylan is forced to scrounge on whatever he can get, and use any location as means of survival. Dylan meets his potential love interest Jenna, who is a girl who ran away from home because of her father taking advantage of her trust, and yes, her body. As a result she wound up living on the streets where she meets Dylan. Weak and vulnerable she replaces another one of Brendan's (Vulcan as Dylan likes to call him) prostitutes. Dylan soon discovers the streets are more dangerous then he thinks as he attempts to get Jenna to move with him.

The problem I see with Dylan is that everyone offers him help but he just turns them down. He believes he can make it all on his own without anyone's help. I'm glad he learns his lesson at the end.


While the book was good, I did not like two things:

First of all: The dialogue of some of the characters. Some of it just seems a bit cliche. Like when Brendan says "It would be a shame if someone fell of this balcony". Also, I believe the girl Amber (Brendan's first prostitute) swears far too often even for my tastes!

Second of all: The book seems a little dragged on and several plot elements seem confusing or just plainly not explained. For example, when Glen suggests to Dylan that he should call his grandfather first to see if he's still alive and willing to see him before going on a 5 1/2 hour trip to nowhere, he chooses not to for no explained reason. Another example could be with Dylan's mother, her reason for kicking him out can only be assumed that she hated Dylan because he was born and her husband walked out of her. The reason for her kicking him out was never fully explained. Another thing I noticed and plainly didn't understand, is why Dylan's biological father, Phil was in his fathers house in the dark, drunk for no apparent reason other then to lengthen the story.

Although, this book has a lot of things that are either confusing or simply not explained, it was still a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone.

THIS BOOK IS POINTLESS
Theories of Relativity
The title of this book is Theories of Relativity, and is written by Barbara Haworth-Attard and was published by Henry-Holt and Company in New York in 2003. This book has 228 pages and is a science fiction novel.
The book Theories of Relativity was really pointless. Although I did not get to finish the book I'm glad I didn't because it was a waste of time. The characters in this book are Dylan, Jenna, and Vulture. Dylan is the main character. In this book Dylan sits on the curb of a big city and waits for people to give him money in his Styrofoam cup. He also spends his time creating and thinking of new theories of relativity. Dylan is poor and has beat up clothes with no friends or family besides Jenna who is his only friend at the time and she rarely visited him. Jenna also is also a beggar except she is actually good at it. People feel sorry for her and give her money mostly because she is a good looking woman. Some of the major events that occur are when Vulture, Jenna's money pimp, tries to kill her because she doesn't want to work for him anymore and then Dylan tries to save her. Jenna was all that Dylan even cared for at the time and the only one who cared about him since his unstable mom kicked him out of the house suddenly and with no money or nowhere to go.
Some things that this book could improve on is not being so boring at some parts and to not drag on moments that are even relevant to the actual plot. Like in the beginning when Dylan is talking to Jenna for like 3 pages long and was pointless. These are the reasons why I did not like his book. This book wasn't relevant to my life at all. It would be hard for someone to actually get into this book without being bored to death.
My thoughts about this book are that it is a waste of time and I don't recommend it to any reader. If you want to read this book please do something better with your time.

heartbreaking, but amazing
This novel was fast-paced and immediately pulled me in. I started reading it and ended up staying up until three in the morning because I had to finish. The story is terrifying and almost too real... it had me bawling my eyes out for the second half. I would highly recommend it.

theories of relativity
In the Book Theories of Relativity it shows how the people who go threw life with out a theory are the ones who never ask questions. The main character Dylan was cut lose by his mother. When Dylan must fend for himself he if forced to set goals. Family was also somthing Dylan had to think about. When you have no one to look after you. You make the decisions. This book was a very good book to read. It is one that will open your eyes to look around and see what is really going on. I think from now on the homeless aren't just people who chose to live on the streets. They are the ones that create the theroys. The ones who ask all the questions. And with out questions, There are no answers

Couldn't stay awake.
This book had absolutely not plot. Day after day the same old things happened to him. I thought that this book would be interesting, especially for $17, but alas it was not. This book is supposed to be for the young adults, well im almost 16 and it bored me to death. Don't buy it, its not worth your money! ... Read more

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.
... Read more

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
Theoretical physics has been hopelessly stalledfor over 100 years.The reason is the falsity of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. A few years ago, NASA sent into space four satellites with gyroscopes to test the theory, project called “Gravity Probe B”.Just the fact that NASA is testing the theory speaks of itself: The theory is wrong. Why otherwise would you test something if it is right? Until now (4 years later) NASA still did not publish the results. Why? The results didn’t match the predictions of the theory. There are two options. NASA must admit that the Theory of Relativity is wrong which will turn upside down the whole of physics, or must admit that they built faulty testing equipmentwasting one billion of taxpayer dollars. NASA is thinking what to do and is trying to manipulate the data, they call it “cleaning” the data (to make them look right).It’s a cover-up.Meanwhile my book was out of print, after many people realized that I was right the book skyrocketed in price. Recently it was reselling in Europe for over $540. Because I received so many e-mails and calls I am publishing it again. For contact: “relativityfalse@yahoo.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A classic book.!!!
In 1972 the famous British professor Herbert Dingle, an ex-relativist who turned into antirelativist, published a book against relativity titled: Science at the crossroads. Because of that he was gradually removed from the "scientiffic" establishment. Kamen Kamenov's book is one of the books, alongside those of Herbert Dingle, Harald Nordenson and Henri Bergson, highly recommendable to those who really want to understand how incurably flawed and useless the "theory" in question is and why it should be abandoned in its entirety. Some books are hard to find. Look in "bookfinder.com" and read about the above mentionned autors in Wikipedia.

TakingwayourCrutches
~-~
" Falsity of Einstein's Theory of Relativity "is
a breath of fresh air aftercenturies of medieval
dark ages in `modern` science!

Yes, our contemporary scientists can hold two or
more conflicting theories on their conscience at the
same time. *Just like most regular folks.

~~Do we need scientific clergy, sacred scriptures and
dogma in the Universities? (:) We got it now!!
We have to go back ! Be afraid of what?

>>There is so much in this book, that is enough for ten
new Theories. If some part are not exactly right, it's
still a noble and brave book, with intriguinglogic.

Those are likecrutches, we seems to need; only of our weakneses and insecurities.
Now, Mr. Kamenov is taking them way. And we have to learn to walk: without fear.
--Because, WE CAN !

Entertaining but horribly flawed
No SR or GR claims have ever been counter-demonstrated and this book displays a lack of comprehension of basic Physics. The admitted lack of knowledge of the many standard paradoxes is evident with instances of rookie frame jumping. The doppler shift conclusion and simultaneity proof are both wrong. The only possible way to assault relativity, given its mathematical self-consistency, is externally by empirically invalidating a postulate. The model still remains error-free, however it also remains open to a demonstration of not capturing reality. Meanwhile the orbital precession of Mercury, relativistic correction of the GPS satellite system and Fermi Lab's particle beams are all in compliance.
Those more knowledgeable of Physics look for a more inclusive theory.

Superb!!!
SUPERB!Mr. Kamenov has done a superb job in this book explaining the falsity in Einstein's theory of relativity in a very simple but a very logical and convincing way. Especially, his argument about proof of simultaneity, speed of light, concept of time and matter are so clear and precise that one couldn't help not agree. It would be interesting to hear about this book from the elite physicists of reputable institutions and publications. Until then , I congratulate Mr. Kamenov for writing this book so interestingly readable even by an average layman.

You don�t want to miss this!
Reading "Space, Time, and Matter and the Falsity of Einstein's Theory of Relativity" was such a fascinating experience for me.After absorbing all of the info in Chapter 5, I remained transfixed on fundamental issues, such as time, relativity, abstract and space.Some of the well-known theories commingle and contrast with each other, challenging one's mind in a unique fashion. This book makes you think twice; provoking, cutting edge book. ... Read more

Product Description
A classic of elementary relativistic pedagogy! This straight-forward book introduces readers to the conceptually tricky subject of relativityin understandable terms. The writing is crisp and clearly written by someonewho is aware of the conceptual difficulties that nonscientists have in coming togrips with relativity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Lucid for anybody
I remember reading this book right after high school.I had read Lincoln Barnett's book, which was good in laying out the concepts; however, Barnett's book left you feeling partially informed like most popular texts do.Mermin's book was different.He takes you through the mathematics and leaves you fully informed.When I first read Mermin's book, I recall worrying that the later chapters might be difficult.But, when I got to the last chapter, I found the pace of reading just as serene as the first chapter.I was delighted to have made it all the way through.David Bohm's book is a waste of time.Bohm indulged in publishing for profit and his authority in science is commercial, not professional.Bohm may have made some interesting speculations about gnosticism; however, gnosticism and modern physics are irreconcilable concepts.There are plenty of used copies of the older edition that cost less than a buck.The later edition doesn't add anything new.My only negative criticism is Mermin's association of special relativity with Einstein, who had nothing to do with it.In fact, if you look at Einstein's papers, his mathematics is entirely wrong and anti-thetical to special relativity theory.For example, he has a habit of dividing by zero when he doesn't know how to obtain a result.He neglects to put a subscript "zero" under "e" for e=mcsquared.This latter mistake gives rise to an entirely different theory that he claims to be making.It also shows plagarism from Olinto De Pretto who later corrected this mistake.De Pretto formulated this equation years before Einstein's paper came to print.The only reason I can gather for maintaining Einstein's authorship of this famous equation is the myth of juwish genius.The German superman has been replaced by the weak backed, wild haired, shifty eyed juwish superman.Mermin is a great expositor but a lousey historian.

A classic
For anyone who wants to understand special relativity, even those who may not be particularly adept at physics or higher math, this is the book.I spent months searching for a clear resolution of the "twin paradox" (aka, "clock paradox") without success.This is the *only* book I've ever found that accomplishes it, no other physics text I could find (and I examined 23 of them at the UCSD S&E library) provided a comprehensible explanation.

This is nothing short of a spectacular piece of work.There is no way to go wrong with this book if you have any interest in the topic at all.I'm confident that even well-experienced professional physicists could find a good many new and useful insights in it.And the best part is, this book is easily accessible by practically anyone having even entry level scientific awareness.It's a genuine classic.

Unquestionably the best intro to Special Relativity I've read
And that includes Epstein's "Relativity Visualized" and Wolfson's "Simply Einstein".My impression is that Mermin is truly intelligent and a good teacher.I found some of the other books talked down to me or spent time explaining how Michelson (or was it Morley) was abused as a child instead of sticking to the subject.I intend to buy Mermin's other book on the subject "It's About Time".

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a reasonably technical mind and wants to get a firm grasp on this subject.

also good for "specialists"-to-be too
I'm writing this review based on my impressions of this book when I read it 9 years ago as an undergraduate physics major at Berkeley.We used it in an honors sophmore-level physics class for physics majors.I'm know a physics grad-student at UCSB. I want to dissavow the impression you might have that this is just a light-weight, pop-science book.This book is very axiomatic and it really tries to "prove" relativity to the reader.The beginning chapters will motivate the postulates of special relativity (eg: "the speed of light is the same in all reference-frames"), and you will learn how to DERIVE the Lorentz transformations from them. (...which is the major thrust of the book.On a side note: topics like why E=mc^2 aren't discussed until the end.)This is why we used it in our class.The students taking the regular Berkeley physics class only memorized the Lorentz transformations and plugged them in blindly.I felt we learned a great deal more than they did. I think this book is billed as a descriptive introduction to relativity for non-specialists because it's clear and easy to read (although perhaps a bit verbose), and because doesn't use any fancy math, just basic geometry (right-triangles, the pythagorean theorem).This doesn't mean it should be shuned by specialists-to-be.This was my first introduction to relativity and at the time, I felt completely satisfied with my understanding of the material after reading it.

An Essential Guide to Modern Physics
This book was astounding. I had my share of knowledge in physics: Newtonian Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Magnetism, Optics, etc. This book took my preconceived ideas of how the Universe worked and all but threwthem out the window.

Mermin's description of why the old physical modelis inadequate was very descriptive and informative - even for someone witha highschool physics background. Numerous examples and analogies bring tounderstanding many difficult and abstract concepts. As for the skeptic . .. well, he deals with them in the later part of the book (I was one ofthem).

This book reads like a Science Fiction novel. Yet the topicspresented could not be more real.

We have Einstein to thank for thePrinciples and Theories of Special Relativity, and Mermin to thank forcommunicating them to the general population.

I recommend this book toeverybody; physicist or not. You cannot fool youself into thinking you havean understanding of the universe until you read and comprehend the topicscovered in this book.

Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
A modern self-contained introduction to key topics in advanced general relativity. The opening chapter reviews the subject, with strong emphasis on the geometric structures underlying the theory. The next chapter discusses 2-component spinor theory, its usefulness for describing zero-mass fields, its practical application via Newman-Penrose formalism, together with examples and applications. The subsequent chapter is an account of the asymptotic theory far from a strong gravitational source, describing the mathematical theory by which measurements of the far-field and gravitational radiation emanating from a source can be used to describe the source itself. The final chapter describes the natural characteristic initial value problem, first in general terms, and then with particular emphasis for relativity, concluding with its relation to Arnold's singularity theory. Exercises are included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The only book for advanced GR
Although it seems to be a general relativity book, this is actually an excellent book for learning advanced mathematics. The sections on differential geometry and spinor analysis rival any of the dedicated textbooks on these subjects. This is also the only book to give a clear and concise introduction to tetrads and the Newman-Penrose formalism of general relativity.

This book is a must for any serious physicist.

treasure trove of knowledge
It seems to me that there are far too many in number, and far too few in quality, books on on general relativity.

John Stewart, rather than waste time on the hordes of cute little cartoon models apt for a tourist ratherthan physicist, gets straight to the heart of the matter and presentsamazingly powerful results (on differential geometry/ Spinors/Asymptopia/Initial Value Problem). He doesn't skip any steps in his proofsand doesn't try to appeal to science fiction intuition.

As someone whohasn't encountered spinors before reading this book, I'm grateful for thehelpful appendi on the matter. Unfortuneately however I've found indifferent books the notation for spinors can vary wildly. The result isthat I must refigure out all the basic properties to understand thenotation. My complaint is that Stewart doesn't seem* (perhaps it's myignorance) to use the most common notation, but on the other hand, he alsoprovides the most easily used and referenced appendix.

In summary, ifreading most of that relativity tripe make you a tourist, Stewart makes youa citizen. ... Read more

Product Description
Stargate Command's attempts to sign a treaty with the Pack, a race of gypsy space travellers, is jeopardised by a series of attacks from an unknown enemy. While searching for the perpetrators, Jack begins to suspect that the Pack are concealing a dangerous secret. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

stargate sg1 relativity
i just read it, it was great. one of the best sg1 books ever. kind of hard to keep track, so much going on. but rest assured it all falls into place later in book.

Really Liked It
I hesitated to buy this book because of the mixed reviews, but I have to admit it's one of my favorite ones from Fandemonium. I thought the author had the characters' personalities down pat and found the story to be very enjoyable to read. I had trouble putting the book down!
The story itself was very well put together. Things are revealed slowly to keep the suspense and allow the reader to develop his/her own theories. The author reveals clues appropriately and it was fun to then put all the pieces together and realize what's going on. I also loved that one of the questions asked in the book is never answered. It was a nice touch.
Two things bothered me about the book, however, but they were very minor.
As with many of these books, the author had some of the naming wrong. Within SG-1, each character has a specific name for every other character. For example, Jack does not call Daniel "Jackson", but "Daniel". Teal'c does not call Sam "Carter", but "MajorCarter", etc.
The other issue I have with the Fandemonium books is the typos and spelling errors. There were a few throughout the book, and I always cringe when I see them.
I realize not everyone has enjoyed this one, but I really did. I was a great team story (Jack/Sam/Daniel/Teal'c).

Halcyon was much better.
I am an avid Stagate fan and have read many of the novels. Although I did enjoy Halcyon by this author, I agree with the comment that the characters do not seem consistent. I was surpised to find that someone else thought the same thing about the Teal'c "Colonel" line. When I read that lineit was very frustrating, but I wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt as I really enjoyed his Stargate Atlantis novel. Overall this is an ok story that did have some very interesting and creative ideas it just wasn't up to the author's usual standards. A fair read.

I hope the other reviewers will not give up on James Swallow as he is really good author.

Slow start, classic finish
The story starts out a little bit slow and confusing, and takes a while to gain momentum.When everything finally clicks into place, the action is classic SG-1. I think the title of the book, "Relativity" is sort of a pun as regards to two of the characters, but I won't spoil that surprise.

TV Characters in the story are: Jack O'Neill, Sam Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackon, General Hammond, Dr. Warner, Dr. Lee, and Vice President Kinsey.Also playing a central role are the Re'Tu and the Aschen.Just like other Aschen-related story lines from the TV series, this one includes time travel to stop an ill-advised treaty.Most of the characters are depicted pretty well, except for Hammond who seems a little flat.Kinsey is expertly portrayed.While not the best novel in this series, it is satisfactory if you can push past the slow start.

If you are a fan, save your money.
Chapter 1 started on page 7.On page 8 the author wrote, "I would doubt that this valley has ever seen vegetation of any kind, Colonel."Which would have been a fine line, if it hadn't been Teal'c speaking.I should have stopped reading right there. If Teal'c ever addressed Jack by rank alone, or anything other than O'Neill, I'll eat my zat. Add to the awful voicing of the main characters, the fact that the author avoided character development of several of his own key characters to try and build some kind of a surprise ending and you get a book full of new folks you really don't care about.Now, while NOT inventing a new foe is fine, if your story revisits a System Lord, rehashing a civilization who weren't all that interesting the first OR second time the TV show went there, made no sense.You could fly a Goa'uld mothership through the plot holes in this book, before even discussing the alternate timeline. And by the end of the book the Pack are fighting their uncharacteristically agressive foes, in space, with landing craft, forgetting that on page 31 the author gave them a PAIR of Goa'uld motherships. I'm not going to bother buying Halcyon. ... Read more