Einstein Relatively Simple

"Outstanding Academic Title for 2014" by CHOICE Einstein Relatively Simple brings together for the first time an exceptionally clear explanation of both special and general relativity. It is for people who always wanted to understand Einstein's ideas but never thought they could. Told with humor, enthusiasm, and rare clarity, this entertaining book reveals how a former high school drop-out revolutionized our understanding of space and time. From E=mc2 and everyday time travel to black holes and the big bang, Einstein Relatively Simple takes us all, regardless of our scientific backgrounds, on a mind-boggling journey through the depths of Einstein's universe. Along the way, we track Einstein through the perils and triumphs of his life — follow his thinking, his logic, and his insights — and chronicle the audacity, imagination, and sheer genius of the man recognized as the greatest scientist of the modern era. In Part I on special relativity we learn how time slows and space shrinks with motion, and how mass and energy are equivalent. Part II on general relativity reveals a cosmos where black holes trap light and stop time, where wormholes form gravitational time machines, where space itself is continually expanding, and where some 13.7 billion years ago our universe was born in the ultimate cosmic event — the Big Bang. Contents:Einstein Discovered: Special Relativity, E = mc2,and Spacetime:From Unknown to RevolutionaryThe Great ConflictThe Two PostulatesA New RealityThe Shrinking of TimeSimultaneity and the Squeezing of SpaceThe World's Most Famous EquationSpacetimeEinstein Revealed: General Relativity, Gravity, and the Cosmos:Einstein's Dream“The Happiest Thought of My Life”The Warping of Space and TimeStitching SpacetimeWhat is Spacetime Curvature?Einstein's MasterpieceThe Universe RevealedIn the Beginning Readership: Adults and young people all over the world who are curious about Einstein and how the universe works. Keywords:Einstein;Relativity;Special Relativity;General Relativity;Spacetime;Big Bang;Black Holes;Expansion of Space;Time Travel;E=mc2;Universe;Cosmos;Time Dilation;Length Contraction;Wormholes;Light Postulate;Length Contraction;Gravitational Time Dilation;Time Warp;Space Warp;Relativity Postulate;Lorentz Transformation;Light Clock;Relativity of Simultaneity;Twins Paradox;Equivalence Principle;Gravity;Spacetime Curvature;Spacetime Interval;Gaussian Co-Ordinates;Geodesic;Momenergy;The Einstein Equation;Schwarzschild Geometry;Bending of Starlight;Frame Dragging;Cosmic Microwave Background;Geometry of Universe;Flat Universe;Critical Density;Dark Matter;Dark Energy;Future of UniverseKey Features:Einstein Relatively Simple is the definitive book on Einstein's theories for the lay reader — one that is fun to read, comprehensive, and most important, understandableEinstein's ideas are explained in everyday languageThe book devotes eight chapters to special and a full eight chapters to general relativity. Most popular science books give general relativity only a brief mention or ignore it altogetherReviews: “This general relativity theory changed our views on the origin and on the ending (if any) of the universe … all topics that tickle the imagination of a general public and Egdall, bringing the reader to the point beyond general relativity, does not miss the opportunity to end his guided tour with a sparkling firework of these issues … it is an entertaining introduction for the layman, that brings the reader a very long way.” The European Mathematical Society “He covers the main topics of special and general relativity in a refreshing, personal way. This is a well-crafted, well-documented text with extensive endnotes, in which a bibliography is embedded. He introduces readers to his own unique entry into this very populous genre. Valuable for inquisitive nonscientists.” CHOICE “I'm crazy about it. It's the best presentation of relativity for non-scientists that I've seen.” Art Hobson Professor Emeritus of Physics University of Arkansas "The writing is jovial and energetic and holds the reader's attention. This book is a nice introduction to modern physics, with a great biography of Einstein included. This book is recommended for a lay reader with basic algebra skills; high school and beginning college physics students would find it easily accessible." Zentralblatt MATH

One of the subject's clearest, most entertaining introductions offers lucid explanations of special and general theories of relativity, gravity, and spacetime, models of the universe, and more. 100 illustrations.

Examines the ramifications of Einstein's relativity theory, exploring the mysteries of time and considering black holes, time travel, the existence of God, and the nature of the universe.

Semi-technical account includes a review of classical physics (origin of space and time measurements, Ptolemaic and Copernican astronomy, laws of motion, inertia, more) and of Einstein's theories of relativity.

Traces the life and work of the physicist whose theory of relativity revolutionized scientific thinking.

In It's About Time, N. David Mermin asserts that relativity ought to be an important part of everyone's education--after all, it is largely about time, a subject with which all are familiar. The book reveals that some of our most intuitive notions about time are shockingly wrong, and that the real nature of time discovered by Einstein can be rigorously explained without advanced mathematics. This readable exposition of the nature of time as addressed in Einstein's theory of relativity is accessible to anyone who remembers a little high school algebra and elementary plane geometry. The book evolved as Mermin taught the subject to diverse groups of undergraduates at Cornell University, none of them science majors, over three and a half decades. Mermin's approach is imaginative, yet accurate and complete. Clear, lively, and informal, the book will appeal to intellectually curious readers of all kinds, including even professional physicists, who will be intrigued by its highly original approach.

This book unfolds the subject of Relativity for undergraduate students of physics. It fills a gap between introductory descriptions and texts for researchers. Assuming almost no prior knowledge, it allows the student to handle all the Relativity needed for a university course, with explanations as simple, thorough, and engaging as possible.

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.