Relativity for everyone how space-time bends Kurt Fischer

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fischer, Kurt

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Relativity (Physics)--Popular works.

Relativity (Physics).

Astronomy.

astronomy.

Genre:

Popular works

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cham New York Springer ©2013

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book explains the theory of special and general relativity in detail, without digressions such as information on Einstein's life or the historical background. However, complicated calculations are replaced with figures and thought experiments, the text being formulated in such a way that the reader will be able to understand the gist intuitively. The first part of the book focuses on the essentials of special relativity. Explanations are provided of the famous equivalence between mass and energy and of why Einstein was able to use the theory of electrodynamics as a template for his "electrodynamics of moving bodies", simply because besides the speed of light, the electric charge itself is also absolute, leading to the relativity of other physical quantities. General relativity is then introduced, mainly with the help of thought experiments. Reference is made to the previously introduced special relativity and the equivalence principle and, using many figures, it is explained how space-time is bending under gravity. The climax of the book comes with the Einstein equations of gravity that describe the way in which matter bends space-time. The reader is shown how to obtain the famous Schwarzschild solution. There follows a numerically correct and yet intuitive explanation of the classic effects such as light bending or the movement of the perihelion. The book concludes by explaining the Friedmann model of the big bang and why the theory of gravity does not fit with quantum theory

Contents:

Light, matter, and energy

Light, time, mass, and length

Light, electricity, and magnetism

Acceleration and inertia

Inertia and gravity

Equivalence principle in action

How mass creates gravity

Solving the Einstein equation of gravity

General Relativity in action

Epilogue

Appendices

Notes:

Includes index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed July 15, 2013)

Includes bibliographical references and index

Other Format:

Printed edition:

ISBN:

9783319005874

3319005871

OCLC:

852791900

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license