This book is a considerable amplification and modernisation of the author's earlier Essential Relativity. It aims to bring the challenge and excitement of modern relativity and cosmology at rigorous mathematical level within reach of advanced undergraduates and beginning graduates, while containing enough new material to interest lecturers and researchers. Its basic purpose is to make relativity come alive conceptually. Hence the emphasis on the foundations and the logical subtleties rather than on the mathematics or the detailed experiments per se. Aided by some 300 exercises, it promotes a visceral understanding and the confidence to tackle any fundamental relativistic problem. Following a critical overview of the whole field, special-relativistic kinematics is presented three- dimensionally before the mathematical level gradually rises. Four-vectors precede mechanics, four-tensors precede Maxwell theory, and two of the eight chapters on general relativity roll by before general tensors are needed. Three 'easy' chapters on cosmology round off the work.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
An outstanding introductory treatise by one of the masters of the subject, this book belongs to the shelves of every physics library. * Foundations of Physics * Professor Rindler's book should be of particular interest to readers concerned with the physical foundations of relativity theory. * Foundations of Physics * This rich and insightful introduction to modern gravitational physics is an extended and updated version of the author's earlier excellent textbook Essential Relativity. Special relativity, general relativity, and cosmology are treated with exceptional clarity in the three parts of this book. It provides a thorough and conceptually rigorous introduction to relativistic physics. * Foundations of Physics * ... a first-class presentation of the intellectual glory of the first century of relativity. * Times Higher Education Supplement * This book will find its place as recommended reading for many advanced undergraduate courses in relativity and cosmology, and is an excellent foundation for work in this field at graduate level and beyond. * Times Higher Education Supplement *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für höhere Schule und Studium
Illustrationen
Maße
Höhe: 242 mm
Breite: 161 mm
Dicke: 28 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-19-850835-9 (9780198508359)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Prof. Wolfgang Rindler, Dept of Physics, The University of Texas at Dallas, Email: wrindler@iopener.net, Phone: (972) 387 9768, Fax: (972) 883 2848
Autor*in
Department of PhysicsDepartment of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas
Introduction: From absolute space and time to influenceable space time - an overview ; Part I: Special Relativity: Foundations of special relativity; the Lorentz transformation; relativistic kinematics; relativistic optics; spacetime and four-vectors; relativistic particle mechanics; four-tensors; electromagnetism in vacuum ; Part II: General Relativity: Curved spaces and the basic ideas of general relativity; static and stationary spacetimes; geodesics, curvature tensor and vacuum field equations; the Schwarzschild metric; black holes and Kruskal space; an exact graviational wave; the full field equations; de Sitter space; linearized general relativity ; Part III: Cosmology: Cosmological spacetimes; light propagation in FRW universes; dynamics of FRW universes ; Appendix: Curvature tensor components
