The Manga Guide to Relativity

by Hideo Nitta, Masafumi Yamamoto, Keita Takatsu, Co Ltd Trend

Overview

Everything’s gone screwy at Tagai Academy. When the headmaster forces Minagi’s entire class to study Einstein’s theory of relativity over summer school, Minagi volunteers to go in their place. There’s just one problem: He’s never even heard of relativity before! Luckily, Minagi has the plucky Miss Uraga to teach him.

Follow along with The Manga Guide to Relativity as Minagi learns about the non-intuitive laws that shape our universe. Before you know it, you’ll master difficult concepts like inertial frames of reference, unified spacetime, and the equivalence principle. You’ll see how relativity affects modern astronomy and discover why GPS systems and other everyday technologies depend on Einstein’s extraordinary discovery.

The Manga Guide to Relativity also teaches you how to:
–Understand and use E = mc2, the world’s most famous equation
–Calculate the effects of time dilation using the Pythagorean theorem
–Understand classic thought experiments like the Twin Paradox, and see why length contracts and mass increases at relativistic speeds
–Grasp the underpinnings of Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity

If the idea of bending space and time really warps your brain, let The Manga Guide to Relativity straighten things out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593272722
Publisher:	No Starch Press
Publication date:	04/15/2011
Series:	The Manga Guides , #7
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	10 - 18 Years

About the Author

Masafumi Yamamoto earned his PhD in Applied Physics from the Graduate School of Engineering at Hokkaido University. His numerous publications include books on physics, electromagnetism, and lasers.

Table of Contents

Preface
Prologue: Outrageous Closing Ceremony
Chapter 1: What Is Relativity?
Chapter 2: What Do You Mean, Time Slows Down?
Chapter 3: The Faster an Object Moves, the Shorter and Heavier It Becomes?
Chapter 4: What Is General Relativity?
Epilogue
Index

Editorial Reviews

"A clever blend that makes relativity easier to think about—even if you're no Einstein."
—StarDate, University of Texas

"A fairly comprehensive look at the subject of relativity, with most of the major topics covered. At the end of the book, the reader should have a fairly good grasp of the science of relativity."
—About.com, Physics

"The Manga Guides definitely have a place on my bookshelf."
—Sarah Zielinski, "Surprising Science," Smithsonian Magazine

"My daughter read this book and when I asked her about it, she said the story was good and was intrigued to find that general relativity was special and special relativity was general. That's as good an endorsement as you can get."
—Science 2.0

"The latest volume in the Manga Guide series explaining math and science with comics is the best yet!"
—Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading

"If you were at all interested in the weird world of relativity, but thought you could not understand the concepts, try this book. Its unique approach can help you understand."
—Jonathan DuHamel, TucsonCitizen.com

"I was really impressed how the concepts of relativity are explained with clarity. You really can learn more about a topic like relativity with a comic book like this."
—Jeremy Schultz, Designorati

"I would say the book is a success and recommend it without reservation."
—Matthew Helmke

"Those who are interested in learning and want a foundation from which to launch further studies will be well served by this book."
—AstroNerdBoy, AstroNerdBoy's Anime & Manga Blog

From the Publisher