The Special Theory Of Relativity

Time's 'Man of the Century', Albert Einstein is the unquestioned founder of modern physics. His theory of relativity is the most important scientific idea of the modern era. In this short book Einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas and principles of the theory which has shaped the world we live in today. Unsurpassed by any subsequent books on relativity, this remains the most popular and useful exposition of Einstein's immense contribution to human knowledge.

This book offers a comprehensive, university-level introduction to Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. In addition to the purely theoretical aspect, emphasis is also given to its historical development as well as to the experiments that preceded the theory and those performed in order to test its validity.The main body of the book consists of chapters on Relativistic Kinematics and Dynamics and their applications, Optics and Electromagnetism. These could be covered in a one-semester course. A more advanced course might include the subjects examined in the other chapters of the book and its appendices.As a textbook, it has some unique characteristics: It provides detailed proofs of the theorems, offers abundant figures and discusses numerous examples. It also includes a number of problems for readers to solve, the complete solutions of which are given at the end of the book.It is primarily intended for use by university students of physics, mathematics and engineering. However, as the mathematics needed is of an upper-intermediate level, the book will also appeal to a more general readership.

This book concentrates on presenting the theory of special relativity as the geometry of space-time. The presentation is straightforward, complete and reader-friendly, with explanatory asides, that give historical context and links with other branches of physics and mathematics. The first four chapters give a complete description of the special theory and the nature of space and time, with the minimum use of mathematics. The mathematics necessary is introduced in the following five chapters, with the final fifteen chapters devoted to a comprehensive and detailed exposition of Einstein’s special relativity. Features: * Concentrates on presenting the theory of special relativity as the geometry of space-time * The presentation is straightforward, complete and reader-friendly, with explanatory asides, which give historical context and links with other branches of physics and mathematics

The book presents the theory of relativity as a unified whole. By showing that the concepts of this theory are interrelated to form a unified totality David Bohm supplements some of the more specialist courses which have tended to give students a fragmentary impression of the logical and conceptual nature of physics as a whole.

The special theory of relativity, a monumental achievement of scientific creativity, appeared in 1905 as a culmination of deep and careful analysis of contradictions in old notions. The subject is now taught in almost all universities and colleges in the departments of physics and mathematics. This text is designed to give students a solid foundation in experimental background of the theory, relativistic kinematics, relativistic dynamics, and relativistic electrodynamics. What distinguishes the text are some special features, not found in other similar texts, that give a more intuitive understanding of the subject. Another important feature of the text is its clarity and correctness with which the principles, their relations, and their applications are set forth. This well-accepted book, now in its second edition, includes a brief account of the “properties of Cartesian tensors” and also adds “experimental verifications of the mass variation of a particle with velocity and the mass–energy equivalence relation” in Chapter 3. Besides, in Chapter 4, some calculations to show how the potentials obtained for a uniformly moving charge lead to Lorentz transformation have been added. It also includes some new problems in the exercise section of Chapters 2, 3 and 4 with their solutions given in the Appendix. The book will also be useful for competitive examinations to PG and Ph.D. courses. KEY FEATURES : Discusses relativistic mechanics and electrodynamics of continuous media. Presents the covariant four-dimensional formulation of relativistic mechanics and electrodynamics. Explains the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations in mechanics and electrodynamics. Describes the Terrell effect (visual appearance of moving objects) and the Thomas precession. Includes a large number of solved problems. Provides solutions to end-of-chapter exercises.

This tribute to Einstein's genius opens with a brief essay by Hanoch Gutfreund, a chronology of Einstein's life, a selection of quotes by Einstein, and, to introduce the manuscript, a detailed description of the manuscript, its contents, publication history, and provenance.

This book pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of Einstein’s journey to discovering the special theory of relativity. Between 1902 and 1905, Einstein sat in the Patent Office and may have made calculations on old pieces of paper that were once patent drafts. One can imagine Einstein trying to hide from his boss, writing notes on small sheets of paper, and, according to reports, seeing to it that the small sheets of paper on which he was writing would vanish into his desk-drawer as soon as he heard footsteps approaching his door. He probably discarded many pieces of papers and calculations and flung them in the waste paper basket in the Patent Office. The end result was that Einstein published nothing regarding the special theory of relativity prior to 1905. For many years before 1905, he had been intensely concerned with the topic; in fact, he was busily working on the problem for seven or eight years prior to 1905. Unfortunately, there are no surviving notebooks and manuscripts, no notes and papers or other primary sources from this critical period to provide any information about the crucial steps that led Einstein to his great discovery. In May 1905, Henri Poincaré sent three letters to Hendrik Lorentz at the same time that Einstein wrote his famous May 1905 letter to Conrad Habicht, promising him four works, of which the fourth one, Relativity, was a rough draft at that point. In the May 1905 letters to Lorentz, Poincaré presented the basic equations of his 1905 “Dynamics of the Electron”, meaning that, at this point, Poincaré and Einstein both had drafts of papers relating to the principle of relativity. The book discusses Einstein’s and Poincaré’s creativity and the process by which their ideas developed. The book also explores the misunderstandings and paradoxes apparent in the theory of relativity, and unravels the subtleties and creativity of Einstein.

This textbook expounds the major topics in the special theory of relativity. It provides a detailed examination of the mathematical foundation of the special theory of relativity, relativistic mass, relativistic mechanics, and relativistic electrodynamics. As well as covariant formulation of relativistic mechanics and electrodynamics, the text discusses the relativistic effect on photons. A new chapter on electromagnetic waves as well as several new problems and examples have been included in the second edition of the book. Using the mathematical approach, the text offers graduate students a clear, concise view of the special theory of relativity. Organized into 15 chapters and two appendices, the content is presented in a logical order, and every topic has been dealt with in a simple and lucid manner. To aid understanding of the subject, the text provides numerous relevant worked-out examples in every chapter. The mathematical approach of the text helps students in their independent study and motivates them to research the topic further.