Popular science books and textbooks to get you from high school to university. Special relativity practice problems a textbook based on this website is now available from cambridge university press. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your first box. Everything is very carefully and clearly derived and a lot of advanced topics are also included. He then uses the equations to discuss the central paradoxes of special relativity. For a more thorough analysis of this experiment, see just about any physics book that discusses special relativity. The book is designed to confront the way students fail to understand the relativity of simultaneity. I am slowly expanding my knowledge, and while i started off with a basic understanding of special and general relativity, this book has been a gem in the pool of information. The first part traces the historical development of the special theory of relativity, including einsteins contribution, the elementary consequences of the lorentz transformation, and applications in quantum theory. Special relativity is a featured book on wikibooks because it contains substantial content, it is wellformatted, and the wikibooks community has decided to feature it on the main page or in other places. If i want to understand general relativity from a mathematical. List of books and articles about theory of relativity. Reasons for criticism of the theory of relativity have included alternative theories, rejection of the abstractmathematical method, and alleged errors of the theory. If you have any comments or questions on these lecture notes, please email them to takeuchiatvtdotedu.
An introduction to the mathematics of the special theory of relativity. The general theory is principally concerned with the largescale effects of gravitation and therefore is an essential ingredient in theories of the. They also face the common problem that, as yet, there is no way to put. Special relativityproblems wikibooks, open books for an. It is full of example problems and has the answers to every practice problem. Bennett begins with special relativity, which explains constant motion. All equations and effects of special relativity can be derived from this rotational symmetry the poincare group of minkowski spacetime. According to some authors, antisemitic objections to einsteins jewish heritage also occasionally played a role in these objections.
A listing of technical books for general relativity. This article is a compilation of books recommended by sci. Special relativity time dilation length contraction along the direction of motion space and time are relative relativity of simultaneity velocities are relative, except for that of light, and add up in such a way that they never exceed the velocity of light. Far more complex, general relativity explains accelerated motion, which is another einstein discovery identical to gravity.
Problem book in relativity and gravitation princeton university press, 1975. In case of sr i would recommend introduction to special relativity by asghar qadir. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left. So, i feel that the absence of such a book in quantum field theory is a gap in the literature. The best book on special relativity that i have read is by a. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in more than a dozen categories. An introduction to general relativity by james hartle is reasonably good as an.
In one case the train is seen in the reference frame of the tunnel, while in the other case the train is seen in its reference frame. The book walks the reader through the development of the special and general theories of relativity and the supporting theories they were built upon. In that respect it is linked to an online repository with more than 200 problems, carefully classified according to subject area and solved in detail, providing an independent. One of the best known but least understood theory is einsteins relativity.
Like in the case of special relativity, the key physical ideas of the new theory, called general relativity, were developed by einstein via \thought experiments and below we describe some of them. Starting with the special theory and its limited applicability and the later development of the more universal general theory, aimed at covering the deficiencies of the former. Book recommendations vivek lohani physics olympiads 28 aug 2015 11 sep 2017 this is the second unsolicited post in the series on physics olympiads, albeit after a reasonably long time. Relate the slope of the world line at various times to how fast you were walking, riding in a car, etc. Special relativity wikibooks, open books for an open world. Einstein june 30, 1905 it is known that maxwells electrodynamicsas usually understood at the present timewhen applied to moving bodies, leads to asymmetries which do. Posted on february 11, 2015 by sean carroll if i were ever to publish a second edition of spacetime and geometry unlikely, but check back in another ten years one thing i would like to do would be to increase the number of problems. Introduction to special relativity, by wolfgang rindler, oxford u. For the graduate textbook by robert wald, see general relativity book.
This problem is well documented and described in depth in. Mermin begins by establishing the basic phenomenal principles of special relativity time dilation and length contraction and uses these to construct the lorentz equations. This a textbook on special relativity, aimed at undergraduates who have already completed a freshman survey course. An introduction with 200 problems and solutions book online at best prices in india on. Oct 11, 2016 whats so special about special relativity. A guide to relativity books university of california. The first two recommended books by robert low also. If not, then you probably wont find it easily in some other sr textbook. Basically, special relativity can be stated as the invariance of any spacetime interval that is the 4d distance between any two events when viewed from any inertial reference frame. My failure to grasp the complexity of einsteins special and general theory of relativity is a result of my inexperience in the field of physics. What are good books for special relativity stack exchange. Please continue to improve it and thanks for the great work so far. This book quickly gets to the issue of why there even needs to be a theory of special relativity.
Aug 11, 2017 special relativity problems edit sketch your personal world line on a spacetime diagram for the last 24 hours, labeling by time and location special events such as meals, physics classes, etc. Relativity share book recommendations with your friends. Special relativity theory srt has two postulates, one stating that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, and the other stating that the speed of light is the constant 186,000 miles. The treatment of electromagnetism assumes previous exposure to maxwells equations in integral form, but no knowledge of. You cannot start to do problems without previous studying your lecture notes and textbooks. This book fills the gap and will be of relevance to many discussions in sci. Special relativity and its experimental foundations yuan zhong zhang special relativity is so well established that its experimental foundation is often ignored. Im looking for a book with deeper mathematical analysis of general relativity. But to most of us, relativity means special relativity. Professor resnick presents a fundamental and unified development of the subject with unusually clear discussions of the aspects that usually trouble beginners. Important and useful to every student of relativity, this book is a unique collection of some 475 problems with solutionsin the fields of special and general relativity, gravitation, relativistic astrophysics, and cosmology. Please continue to improve it and thanks for the great work. Special relativity is a geometric theory of physics, which can be written and studied covariantly in terms of lorentz tensors fourvectors, etc. When the radiation is emitted from one end of einsteins box, that end must surely suffer a decrease, by version points in the first instance to the mass associated with radiant energy, one quickly recognizes that the implications are is not lessened by its becoming hackneyed.
From the doxerl affair to the miracle year, and has had over 30,000 students worldwide enroll in his online course on the special theory of relativity this course. This new edition textbook including a problems and solution section develops special relativity in a systematic way and offers the unique feature of having more. There is no ehrenfest paradox, sagnac problem, or actual faster than light paths measured on. Lets begin with einsteins theory of special relativity. A fine, physicallybased introduction to many of the details of special relativity. Book cover of albert einstein special and general relativity great works that. February 14, 2008 the views of space and time which i wish to lay before you have. Minkowski trumps einstein richard conn henry henry a. Notes on special relativity physics 252, michael fowler, university of virginia march 21, 2008. Which is the best special relativity book with proper. Exams introduction to special relativity physics mit. It will appeal to the reader who has a healthy level of enthusiasm for understanding how and why the various results of special relativity come about. Introduction to special relativity by robert resnick.
Special relativityintroduction wikibooks, open books. I can only recommend textbooks because thats what ive used, but here are some suggestions. A list of 15 new general relativity books you should read in 2020, such as. Books this is an excellent text for practicing relativity problems. Second edition, by stephani, kramer, maccallum, hoenselaers, and herlt. There is no reference frame in which light can appear to be at rest. Worked out problems to go along with the ordering of the text by misner, thorne and wheeler. Notes on relativity and cosmology for phy312 donald marolf physics department, syracuse university c january 2003. Though some of these criticisms had the support of reputable scientists, einsteins theory of relativity is now accepted by the scientific community.
Problem book in relativity and gravitation, by lightman, press, price and. Solved problems in special relativity charles asman, adam monahan and malcolm mcmillan department of physics and astronomy university of british columbia, vancouver, british columbia, canada fall 1999. Whats a good book to practice special relativity problems. One of my colleagues asked me if i could recommend a book on relativity for the son of a friend, who is a bright 11th grade student. Amongst other things, this latter theory is essentially. This book presents an alternative representation of einsteins special theory of relativity, which makes special relativity much more comprehensible and is intended as a lecture for physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists and concentrates on the students of these fields. Student understanding of time in special relativity. Dear physics forum community, i teach ap physics and general physics at a small independent school.
Later, einstein was able to further develop this theory, leading to what is known as the general theory of relativity. This book gives an excellent introduction to the theory of special relativity. Sep 11, 2014 dear physics forum community, i teach ap physics and general physics at a small independent school. Physics also known as natural philosophy is the analysis of nature that is conducted in order to model phenomena to describe how the universe behaves and gain partial understanding of it. Introduction to special relativity by robert resnick, rensselaer polytechnic institute this book gives an excellent introduction to the theory of special relativity. These principles, and their consequences constitute the special theory of relativity. But in problems involving large speeds, or in problems where a high degree of accuracy is required, we must use the relativistic theory.
Hartle and moore are two good books at the advanced undergraduate level. Schutz a first course in general relativity koleckinasa foundations of tensor analysis for students of physics and engineering with an introduction to the theory of relativity. The book is intended to be used both as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate teaching course in special relativity but also as a reference book for the future. Most modern books include it as a subset of general relativity. Special relativity an introduction with 200 problems and. Rowland department of physics and astronomy the johns hopkins university students find physics difficulti am thinking of firstyear undergraduate university physics majors. Rindler is the classic intro to special relativity. Einstein and inside relativity by mook and vargish as supplemental reading. Popular relativity books share book recommendations with.
Lecture notes on special relativity macquarie university. Actually, this theory includes both special relativity and general relativity. In that respect it is linked to an online repository with more than 500 problems, carefully classified according to subject area and solved in detail, providing an independent problem book on special relativity. This is a book of great value to those interested in the foundations of physics. Notes on special relativity physics 252, michael fowler, university of virginia. The given book can be of interest to students, postgraduates, teachers, scientists and all mans, that independently meditate on fundamental physical problems. The text itself has especially good descriptions of lie derivatives, and of. He holds degrees in physics, mathematics, and the history of science, has published a book and a ted ed video on young einstein.
The einsteins train and tunnel model displays the famous thought experiment from special relativity where a train enters a tunnel as seen from two points of view. Its so simple that the required math does not go beyond high school algebra. Moore pays a lot of attention to developing mathematical understanding. Sadly, i have not read many books in the popular science. This was my main motivation for writing this problem book. The special and the general theory by albert einstein, einstein. You may be somewhat daunted by the task of coming to understand the theory of relativity in one 50 minute philosophy class.
It can also be used as a sr cookbook, because if you need some sr formula, you will probably find it there. Writing a new book on the classic subject of special relativity, on which numerous important physicists have contributed and many books have already been. The book is intended to be used both as a textbook for a teaching course in special relativity but also as a reference book for the future. What are good books for special relativity physics stack exchange. The special advance of special relativity was combining the fact that the speed of light is constant with the fact that observers in all reference. Einstein expanded the special theory of relativity into a general theory completed c. A first course in general relativity by bernard schutz is one that ive heard similar things about. Documents and settingsphilip harrismy documentsteaching. An introduction with 200 problems and solutions by michael tsamparlis covers a lot of stuff and goes in depth. Problem book in relativity and gravitation, by lightman, press, price and teukolsky, princeton u. In 1915 he published his general theory of relativity, dealing withgravityandacceleration. It clearly explains what postulates are unwavering and why and then proceeds to show how the other generally accepted physics concepts, which appear at first to be at odds with each other, can in fact coexist. But you should take heart from the subtitle of einsteins book from which todays reading was taken.
Laymen describe gravity as an attraction between objects. General relativity gr, also known as the general theory of relativity gtr, is the geometric. An essential resource for learning about general relativity and much more, from four leading experts. The rules of special relativity are a special case of general relativity, where you can ignore the gravitational fields. This book is written for high school and college students learning about special relativity for the first time.
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