Relativity in Curved Spacetime

Relativity in Curved Spacetime PDF Author: Eric Baird
Publisher: Chocolate Tree Books
ISBN: 0955706807
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
Relativity theory has become one of the icons of Twentieth Century science. It's reckoned to be a difficult subject, taught as a layered series of increasingly difficult mathematics and increasingly abstract concepts. We're told that relativity theory is supposed to be this complicated and counter-intuitive. But how much of this historical complexity is really necessary? Can we bypass the interpretations and paradoxes and pseudoparadoxes of Einstein's special theory and jump directly to a deeper and more intuitive description of reality? What if curvature is a fundamental part of physics, and a final theory of relativity shouldn't reduce to Einstein's "flat" 1905 theory //on principle//? "Relativity..." takes us on a whistlestop tour of Twentieth Century physics - from black holes, quantum mechanics, wormholes and the Big Bang to the workings of the human mind, and asks: what would physics look like without special relativity? 394 printed pages, 234156 mm, 200 figures and illustrations, includes bibliography and index www.relativitybook.com

Relativity in Curved Spacetime

Relativity in Curved Spacetime PDF Author: Eric Baird
Publisher: Chocolate Tree Books
ISBN: 0955706807
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Get Book Here

Book Description
Relativity theory has become one of the icons of Twentieth Century science. It's reckoned to be a difficult subject, taught as a layered series of increasingly difficult mathematics and increasingly abstract concepts. We're told that relativity theory is supposed to be this complicated and counter-intuitive. But how much of this historical complexity is really necessary? Can we bypass the interpretations and paradoxes and pseudoparadoxes of Einstein's special theory and jump directly to a deeper and more intuitive description of reality? What if curvature is a fundamental part of physics, and a final theory of relativity shouldn't reduce to Einstein's "flat" 1905 theory //on principle//? "Relativity..." takes us on a whistlestop tour of Twentieth Century physics - from black holes, quantum mechanics, wormholes and the Big Bang to the workings of the human mind, and asks: what would physics look like without special relativity? 394 printed pages, 234156 mm, 200 figures and illustrations, includes bibliography and index www.relativitybook.com

Relativity without Spacetime

Relativity without Spacetime PDF Author: Joseph K. Cosgrove
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319726315
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
In 1908, three years after Einstein first published his special theory of relativity, the mathematician Hermann Minkowski introduced his four-dimensional “spacetime” interpretation of the theory. Einstein initially dismissed Minkowski’s theory, remarking that “since the mathematicians have invaded the theory of relativity I do not understand it myself anymore.” Yet Minkowski’s theory soon found wide acceptance among physicists, including eventually Einstein himself, whose conversion to Minkowski’s way of thinking was engendered by the realization that he could profitably employ it for the formulation of his new theory of gravity. The validity of Minkowski’s mathematical “merging” of space and time has rarely been questioned by either physicists or philosophers since Einstein incorporated it into his theory of gravity. Physicists often employ Minkowski spacetime with little regard to the whether it provides a true account of the physical world as opposed to a useful mathematical tool in the theory of relativity. Philosophers sometimes treat the philosophy of space and time as if it were a mere appendix to Minkowski’s theory. In this critical study, Joseph Cosgrove subjects the concept of spacetime to a comprehensive examination and concludes that Einstein’s initial assessment of Minkowksi was essentially correct.

Spacetime and Geometry

Spacetime and Geometry PDF Author: Sean M. Carroll
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108488390
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 529

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Book Description
An accessible introductory textbook on general relativity, covering the theory's foundations, mathematical formalism and major applications.

The Geometry of Minkowski Spacetime

The Geometry of Minkowski Spacetime PDF Author: Gregory L. Naber
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 9780486432359
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
This mathematically rigorous treatment examines Zeeman's characterization of the causal automorphisms of Minkowski spacetime and the Penrose theorem concerning the apparent shape of a relativistically moving sphere. Other topics include the construction of a geometric theory of the electromagnetic field; an in-depth introduction to the theory of spinors; and a classification of electromagnetic fields in both tensor and spinor form. Appendixes introduce a topology for Minkowski spacetime and discuss Dirac's famous "Scissors Problem." Appropriate for graduate-level courses, this text presumes only a knowledge of linear algebra and elementary point-set topology. 1992 edition. 43 figures.

Relativity and the Nature of Spacetime

Relativity and the Nature of Spacetime PDF Author: Vesselin Petkov
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540277005
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
Puts the emphasis on conceptual questions: Why is there no such thing as absolute motion? What is the physical meaning of relativity of simultaneity? But, the most important question that is addressed in this book is "what is the nature of spacetime?" or, equivalently, "what is the dimensionality of the world at the macroscopic level?" Develops answers to these questions via a thorough analysis of relativistic effects and explicitly asking whether the objects involved in those effects are three-dimensional or four-dimensional. Discusses the implication of the result (this analysis clearly shows that if the world and the physical objects were three-dimensional, none of the kinematic relativistic effects and the experimental evidence supporting them would be possible) for physics, philosophy, and our entire world view are discussed.

Exact Space-Times in Einstein's General Relativity

Exact Space-Times in Einstein's General Relativity PDF Author: Jerry B. Griffiths
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139481169
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
Einstein's theory of general relativity is a theory of gravity and, as in the earlier Newtonian theory, much can be learnt about the character of gravitation and its effects by investigating particular idealised examples. This book describes the basic solutions of Einstein's equations with a particular emphasis on what they mean, both geometrically and physically. Concepts such as big bang and big crunch-types of singularities, different kinds of horizons and gravitational waves, are described in the context of the particular space-times in which they naturally arise. These notions are initially introduced using the most simple and symmetric cases. Various important coordinate forms of each solution are presented, thus enabling the global structure of the corresponding space-time and its other properties to be analysed. The book is an invaluable resource both for graduate students and academic researchers working in gravitational physics.

Exploring Black Holes

Exploring Black Holes PDF Author: Edwin F. Taylor
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780321512864
Category : Black holes (Astronomy)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Planck Aether Hypothesis

The Planck Aether Hypothesis PDF Author: Friedwardt Winterberg
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780971881105
Category : Ether (Space)
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description


General Relativity Without Calculus

General Relativity Without Calculus PDF Author: Jose Natario
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642214525
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
“General Relativity Without Calculus” offers a compact but mathematically correct introduction to the general theory of relativity, assuming only a basic knowledge of high school mathematics and physics. Targeted at first year undergraduates (and advanced high school students) who wish to learn Einstein’s theory beyond popular science accounts, it covers the basics of special relativity, Minkowski space-time, non-Euclidean geometry, Newtonian gravity, the Schwarzschild solution, black holes and cosmology. The quick-paced style is balanced by over 75 exercises (including full solutions), allowing readers to test and consolidate their understanding.

The Little Book of Time

The Little Book of Time PDF Author: Klaus Mainzer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1475743327
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
Time is fundamental to our experience, but remains mysterious. This book shows how philosophers and scientists have tried to grapple with this most extraordinary of ordinary phenomena. From the attempts of early astronomers to reconcile solar and lunar and terrestrial reckonings, to the huge expansions and contractions of time consciousness brought on by scientists as diverse as Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, this book shows how time is as much a matter of human choice as it is a matter of scientific precision.