Books with title Relativity: the Special and General Theory

Relativity - The Special and General Theory/ Sidelights on Relativity is a compilation of two classic Albert Einstein physics papers. Special relativity is a theory of the structure of spacetime. It was introduced in Einstein's 1905 paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (for the contributions of many other physicists see History of special relativity). Special relativity is based on two postulates which are contradictory in classical mechanics: The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion relative to one another (principle of relativity). The speed of light in a vacuum is the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion or of the motion of the light source. The resultant theory copes with experiment better than classical mechanics. For instance, postulate 2 explains the results of the Michelson–Morley experiment. Moreover, the theory has many surprising and counterintuitive consequences. Some of these are: Relativity of simultaneity: Two events, simultaneous for one observer, may not be simultaneous for another observer if the observers are in relative motion. Time dilation: Moving clocks are measured to tick more slowly than an observer's "stationary" clock. Length contraction: Objects are measured to be shortened in the direction that they are moving with respect to the observer. Maximum speed is finite: No physical object, message or field line can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. The effect of Gravity can only travel through space at the speed of light, not faster or instantaneously. Mass–energy equivalence: E = mc2, energy and mass are equivalent and transmutable. Relativistic mass, idea used by some researchers. The defining feature of special relativity is the replacement of the Galilean transformations of classical mechanics by the Lorentz transformations. General relativity is a theory of gravitation developed by Einstein in the years 1907–1915. The development of general relativity began with the equivalence principle, under which the states of accelerated motion and being at rest in a gravitational field (for example, when standing on the surface of the Earth) are physically identical. The upshot of this is that free fall is inertial motion: an object in free fall is falling because that is how objects move when there is no force being exerted on them, instead of this being due to the force of gravity as is the case in classical mechanics. This is incompatible with classical mechanics and special relativity because in those theories inertially moving objects cannot accelerate with respect to each other, but objects in free fall do so. To resolve this difficulty Einstein first proposed that spacetime is curved. In 1915, he devised the Einstein field equations which relate the curvature of spacetime with the mass, energy, and any momentum within it. Some of the consequences of general relativity are: Clocks run slower in deeper gravitational wells. This is called gravitational time dilation. Orbits precess in a way unexpected in Newton's theory of gravity. (This has been observed in the orbit of Mercury and in binary pulsars). Rays of light bend in the presence of a gravitational field. Rotating masses "drag along" the spacetime around them; a phenomenon termed "frame-dragging". The universe is expanding, and the far parts of it are moving away from us faster than the speed of light. Technically, general relativity is a theory of gravitation whose defining feature is its use of the Einstein field equations. The solutions of the field equations are metric tensors which define the topology of the spacetime and how objects move inertially.

The image is popular and general: A young man sits under an apple tree. An apple falls, strikes him and sets him on a course to receive those epiphanies, eureka moments, in which he deduces how the physical world works. The young man was Isaac Newton and the consequent laws are known as Newtonian physics. Move ahead two hundred years and the second image, though less well known, is of another young man with unruly hair, sitting on a hillside in Germany not far from the patent office where he worked. There Albert Einstein received his own epiphany, followed by several eureka moments, from which he deduced those laws of physics, now termed the Theory of Relativity, a theory that superseded Newton’s 200 year old theories of mechanics, and, in no small part, ushered in the Modern Era. The Theory of Relativity, is actually comprised of two theories: special relativity and general relativity. The concepts introduced in these two theories are three-fold: (1) The measurement of certain quantities is dependent upon the speed of the observer; (2) Space and time (“spacetime”) should be considered in relation to one another; and (3) The speed of light is, nonetheless, an absolute constant, invariant and the same for all observers. In any construct that allows for the relative nature of relationships, the observer must seek out the sole constant on which all relationships depend for their accurate expression. Einstein found it in the speed of light, and from that constant looked anew at the behavior of the smallest elements of matter (Special Relativity, 1905), as well as the projected behavior of an infinite cosmos (General Relativity, 1916). (Summary by Michael Hogan)

How is this book unique? Font adjustments & biography included Unabridged (100% Original content) Illustrated About Relativity: the Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein "According to Einstein himself, this book is intended ""to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics."" When he wrote the book in 1916, Einstein's name was scarcely known outside the physics institutes. Having just completed his masterpiece, The General Theory of Relativity—which provided a brand-new theory of gravity and promised a new perspective on the cosmos as a whole—he set out at once to share his excitement with as wide a public as possible in this popular and accessible book. "

relativity: The Special and the General Theory began as a short paper and was eventually published as a book written by Albert Einstein with the aim of giving:an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory began as a short paper and was eventually published as a book written by Albert Einstein with the aim of giving:. . . an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.

"Relativity: The Special and General Theory" by Albert Einstein (translated by Robert W. Lawson). Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.