Lecture Notes on the General Theory of Relativity: From Newton's Attractive Gravity to the Repulsive Gravity of Vacuum Energy

This book has resulted from a course in the general theory of relativity at the University of Oslo where the author has lectured for more than twenty years. Although the text is designed for master students, it is rather self-contained. Since mathematics courses on differential geometry and tensor calculus usually employ a rather abstract notation different from the component notation used in physical applications, the book introduces not only an introduction to the physical principles of t...