A Short Course In General Relativity 3e

Suitable for a one-semester course in general relativity for senior undergraduates or beginning graduate students, this text clarifies the mathematical aspects of Einstein's theory of relativity without sacrificing physical understanding.

Suitable as a one-semester course in general relativity for senior undergraduate or beginning graduate students, this text clarifies the mathematical aspects of Einstein's general theory of relativity without sacrificing physical understanding. The text begins with an exposition of those aspects of tensor calculus and differential geometry needed for a proper exposition of the subject. The discussion then turns to the spacetime of general relativity and to geodesic motion, comparisons and contrasts with Newton's theory being drawn where appropriate. A brief consideration of the field equations is followed by a discussion of physics in the vicinity of massive objects, including an elementary treatment of black holes. Particular attention is paid to those aspects of the theory that have observational consequences. The book concludes with brief introductory chapters on gravitational radiation and cosmology, and includes an appendix that reviews the special theory of relativity. In preparing this new edition, the authors have made extensive revisions to the original text. In particular, the first three chapters -- covering coordinate systems, tensors and the geometry of curved spaces -- have been completely rewritten to make the material readily accessible to physics students. Many examples, exercises and problems help guide the student through the theory.

Unlike most traditional introductory textbooks on relativity and cosmology that answer questions like “Does accelerated expansion pull our bodies apart?”, “Does the presence of dark matter affect the classical tests of general relativity?” in a qualitative manner, the present text is intended as a foundation, enabling students to read and understand the textbooks and many of the scientific papers on the subject. And, above all, the readers are taught and encouraged to do their own calculations, check the numbers and answer the above and other questions regarding the most exciting discoveries and theoretical developments in general relativistic cosmology, which have occurred since the early 1980s. In comparison to these intellectual benefits the text is short. In fact, its brevity without neglect of scope or mathematical accessibility of key points is rather unique. The authors connect the necessary mathematical concepts and their reward, i.e. the understanding of an important piece of modern physics, along the shortest path. The unavoidable mathematical concepts and tools are presented in as straightforward manner as possible. Even though the mathematics is not very difficult, it certainly is beneficial to know some statistical thermodynamics as well as some quantum mechanics. Thus the text is suitable for the upper undergraduate curriculum.

This textbook develops general relativity and its associated mathematics from a minimum of prerequisites, leading to a physical understanding of the theory in some depth.

Second edition of a widely-used textbook providing the first step into general relativity for undergraduate students with minimal mathematical background.

Suitable as a one-semester course in general relativity for senior undergraduates or beginning graduates, this text clarifies the mathematical aspects of Einsteins general theory of relativity without sacrificing physical understanding. Beginning with an exposition of those aspects of tensor calculus and differential geometry needed for a proper exposition of the subject, the discussion turns to the space-time of general relativity and to geodesic motion, comparisons and contrasts, with Newtons theory being drawn where appropriate. A brief consideration of the field equations is followed by a discussion of physics in the vicinity of massive objects, including an elementary treatment of black holes. The book concludes with brief, introductory chapters on gravitational radiation and cosmology, and includes an appendix that reviews the special theory of relativity. In preparing this new edition, the authors have completely rewritten chapters to make the material readily accessible to physics students, while many examples, exercises and problems help guide the students through the theory.

General relativity is a subject that most undergraduates in physics are particularly curious about, but it has a reputation for being very difficult. This book provides as gentle an introduction to general relativity as possible, leading you through the necessary mathematics in order to arrive at important results. Of course, you cannot avoid the mathematics of general relativity altogether, but, using this book, you can gain an appreciation of tensors and differential geometry at a pace you can keep up with. Early chapters build up to a complete derivation of Einstein's Equations, while the final chapters cover the key applications on black holes, cosmology and gravitational waves. It is designed as a coursebook with just enough material to cover in a one-semester undergraduate class, but it is also accessible to any numerate readers who wish to appreciate the power and beauty of Einstein's creation for themselves.