Introducing General Relativity

Introducing General Relativity An accessible and engaging introduction to general relativity for undergraduates In Introducing General Relativity, the authors deliver a structured introduction to the core concepts and applications of General Relativity. The book leads readers from the basic ideas of relativity—including the Equivalence Principle and curved space-time—to more advanced topics, like Solar System tests and gravitational wave detection. Each chapter contains practice problems designed to engage undergraduate students of mechanics, electrodynamics, and special relativity. A wide range of classical and modern topics are covered in detail, from exploring observational successes and astrophysical implications to explaining many popular principles, like space-time, redshift, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmology. Advanced topic sections introduce the reader to more detailed mathematical approaches and complex ideas, and prepare them for the exploration of more specialized and sophisticated texts. Introducing General Relativity also offers: Structured outlines to the concepts of General Relativity and a wide variety of its applications Comprehensive explorations of foundational ideas in General Relativity, including space-time curvature and tensor calculus Practical discussions of classical and modern topics in relativity, from space-time to redshift, gravity, black holes, and gravitational waves Optional, in-depth sections covering the mathematical approaches to more advanced ideas Perfect for undergraduate physics students who have studied mechanics, dynamics, and Special Relativity, Introducing General Relativity is an essential resource for those seeking an intermediate level discussion of General Relativity placed between the more qualitative books and graduate-level textbooks.

This textbook provides an introduction to general relativity for mathematics undergraduates or graduate physicists. After a review of Cartesian tensor notation and special relativity the concepts of Riemannian differential geometry are introducted. More emphasis is placed on an intuitive grasp of the subject and a calculational facility than on a rigorous mathematical exposition. General relativity is then presented as a relativistic theory of gravity reducing in the appropriate limits to Newtonian gravity or special relativity. The Schwarzchild solution is derived and the gravitational red-shift, time dilation and classic tests of general relativity are discussed. There is a brief account of gravitational collapse and black holes based on the extended Schwarzchild solution. Other vacuum solutions are described, motivated by their counterparts in linearised general relativity. The book ends with chapters on cosmological solutions to the field equations. There are exercises attached to each chapter, some of which extend the development given in the text.

General Relativity: An Introduction for Physicists provides a clear mathematical introduction to Einstein's theory of general relativity. It presents a wide range of applications of the theory, concentrating on its physical consequences. After reviewing the basic concepts, the authors present a clear and intuitive discussion of the mathematical background, including the necessary tools of tensor calculus and differential geometry. These tools are then used to develop the topic of special relativity and to discuss electromagnetism in Minkowski spacetime. Gravitation as spacetime curvature is then introduced and the field equations of general relativity derived. After applying the theory to a wide range of physical situations, the book concludes with a brief discussion of classical field theory and the derivation of general relativity from a variational principle. Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this approachable textbook contains over 300 exercises to illuminate and extend the discussion in the text.

Covers the geometry of curved space, geodesics, parallel transport, covariant differentiation, geodesic deviation and spacetime symmetry by Killing vectors. The book then introduces Einstein's theory of gravitation and Schwarzschild solution with its relevance to Positive Mass theorem. The three tests for Einstein's gravity are explained.

A presentation of general relativity as a scheme for describing the gravitational field and the equations it obeys. Starting from physical motivations, curved co-ordinates are introduced, and then the notion of an affine connection field is added. At a later step, the metric field is added.

Following the approach of Lev Landau and Evgenii Lifshitz, this book introduces the theory of special and general relativity with the Lagrangian formalism and the principle of least action. This method allows the complete theory to be constructed starting from a small number of assumptions, and is the most natural approach in modern theoretical physics. The book begins by reviewing Newtonian mechanics and Newtonian gravity with the Lagrangian formalism and the principle of least action, and then moves to special and general relativity. Most calculations are presented step by step, as is done on the board in class. The book covers recent advances in gravitational wave astronomy and provides a general overview of current lines of research in gravity. It also includes numerous examples and problems in each chapter.

A superlative, fascinating graphic account of Albert Einstein's strange world and how his legacy has been built upon since. It is now more than a century since Einstein's theories of Special and General Relativity began to revolutionise our view of the universe. Beginning near the speed of light and proceeding to explorations of space-time and curved spaces, Introducing Relativity plots a visually accessible course through the thought experiments that have given shape to contemporary physics. Scientists from Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawking add their unique contributions to this story, as we encounter Einstein's astounding vision of gravity as the curvature of space-time and arrive at the breathtakingly beautiful field equations. Einstein's legacy is reviewed in the most advanced frontiers of physics today - black holes, gravitational waves, the accelerating universe and string theory.

Best-selling, accessible physics-first introduction to GR uses minimal new mathematics and begins with the essential physical applications.