Relativity

by Albert Einstein

Overview

Widely considered the greatest contribution to the philosophy of science, Einstein's theory of relativity has often been viewed as comprehensible only to highly trained scientists. This book, however, contains the great physicist's own explanation of both the special and the general theories, written for readers interested in the theory but not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. Presenting the ideas in their simplest, most intelligible form, this three-part volume outlines the special theory, the general theory, and in a final part, offers considerations on the universe as whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789387669185
Publisher:	General Press
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Born on March 14, 1879 at Ulm, in Württemberg, Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. He was conferred the Nobel prize for Physics in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect. Einstein is popularly considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century. He passed away on April 18, 1955 at Princeton, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Introduction     viii
Preface     xiii
The Special Theory of Relativity
Physical Meaning of Geometrical Propositions     15
The System of Co-ordinates     17
Space and Time in Classical Mechanics     20
The Galilean System of Co-ordinates     22
The Principle of Relativity in the Restricted Sense     23
The Theorem of the Addition of Velocities Employed in Classical Mechanics     25
The Apparent Incompatibility of the Law of Propagation of Light with the Principle of Relativity     26
On the Idea of Time in Physics     28
The Relativity of Simultaneity     31
On the Relativity of the Conception of Distance     33
The Lorentz Transformation     34
The Behaviour of Measuring-Rods and Clocks in Motion     38
Theorem of the Addition of Velocities. The Experiment of Fizeau     40
The Heuristic Value of the Theory of Relativity     43
General Results of the Theory     44
Experience and the Special Theory of Relativity     48
Minkowski's Four-Dimensional Space     52
The General Theory of Relativity
Special and General Principle of Relativity     55
The Gravitational Field     58
The Equality of Inertial andGravitational Mass as an Argument for the General Postulate of Relativity     60
In What Respects Are the Foundations of Classical Mechanics and of the Special Theory of Relativity Unsatisfactory?     63
A Few Inferences from the General Principle of Relativity     65
Behaviour of Clocks and Measuring-Rods on a Rotating Body of Reference     68
Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Continuum     71
Gaussian Co-ordinates     74
The Space-Time Continuum of the Special Theory of Relativity Considered as a Euclidean Continuum     77
The Space-Time Continuum of the General Theory of Relativity Is Not a Euclidean Continuum     79
Exact Formulation of the General Principle of Relativity     81
The Solution of the Problem of Gravitation on the Basis of the General Principle of Relativity     83
Considerations on the Universe as a Whole
Cosmological Difficulties of Newton's Theory     87
The Possibility of a "Finite" and yet "Unbounded" Universe     89
The Structure of Space According to the General Theory of Relativity     92
Appendixes
Simple Derivation of the Lorentz Transformation (Supplementary to Section 11)     95
Minkowski's Four-Dimensional Space ("World") (Supplementary to Section 17)     99
The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity     101

Editorial Reviews

He was unfathomably profound - the genius among geniuses who discovered, merely by thinking about it, that the universe was not as it seemed.

Time

'He was unfathomably profound - the genius among geniuses who discovered, merely by thinking about it, that the universe was not as it seemed.' - Time

'Much of the book is a delight.' - Stephen Battersby, New Scientist

'[Einstein] is a far better populariser of science than Stephen Hawking ... you'll feel as though you have a ringside seat at a revolution in human understanding.' - Guardian

From the Publisher