A First Course in General Relativity [Paperback]

Bernard F. Schutz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521277035 | ISBN-13: 978-0521277037 | Publication Date: February 22, 1985

General relativity has become one of the central pillars of theoretical physics, with important applications in both astrophysics and high-energy particle physics, and no modern theoretical physicist's education should be regarded as complete without some study of the subject. This textbook, based on the author's own undergraduate teaching, develops general relativity and its associated mathematics from a minimum of prerequisites, leading to a physical understanding of the theory in some depth. It reinforces this understanding by making a detailed study of the theory's most important applications - neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmology - using the most up-to-date astronomical developments. The book is suitable for a one-year course for beginning graduate students or for undergraduates in physics who have studied special relativity, vector calculus, and electrostatics. Graduate students should be able to use the book selectively for half-year courses.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Schutz has such mastery of the material that it soon becomes clear that one is in authoritative hands, and topics are selected and developed only to a point where they prove adequate for future needs." The Times Higher Education Supplement

"...ought to inspire more physicists and astronomers to teach--and learn--the other half of the 20th century's revolution in physics." Foundations of Physics

"The book is a goldmine of cleverly constructed problems and exercises (and solutions!)..." Nature

Book Description

Development of the concept of general relativity and its associated mathematics, from a minimum of prerequisites, leads to an in-depth physical understanding of the theory and its most important applications.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (February 22, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521277035
• ISBN-13: 978-0521277037
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Book, April 17, 2000

By 

mark balaschak (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A First Course in General Relativity (Paperback)

This book is the one text I'd give to someone who aspires to learn the mathematics of general relativity. Aimed at a reader who has a grasp of three-d vector calculus and a firm basis in special relativity, this book is an ideal bridge between a text like French's "Special Relativity" and the Big Book--Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler's "Gravitation." Schutz says that his book should prepare a reader to move confidently into texts like MTW, and I think he's spot on. I'd put Rindler's "Essential Relativity" at a slightly lower level than this text. Rindler demands less of the reader going in, and probably gives more in the way of conceptual intuition regarding black holes and modern cosmological models, but Rindler doesn't leave the reader with the mathmatical understanding that Schutz does. One could stop after Rindler with a sense of having learned some things--one ends Schutz with a sense of being prepared to learn a lot more.

The first chapters refreshes the reader's mind about SR, and then proceeds to build tensor analysis in SR. What makes this book stand out it uses the language is that of modern GR--one learns the language of one-forms and vectors, not co- and contravariant vectors. Cultivating a geometrical intuition about these strange new objects (a la MTW) is given equal or greater weight than developing skills at index manipulation. Those are two reasons I'd recommend this book over Foster and Nightingale, for example. For me personally, Schutz's path toward the mathematics of curvature beginning with Cartesian and polar coordinates in 2d was easier to follow than any treatment I've seen.

Once the mathematical structure (which is the book's core) has been laid out, the physics that follows is a bit different than most texts: slightly curved spacetimes, then the field equations, and then chapters on gravitational radiation and stellar theory. I liked that. Gravitational waves are a sexy topic and an area of lively research, so putting the chapter where it is left me feeling that I'd really accomplished someting by getting that far, and had caught at least a glimpse of the frontier. The last two chapters--Schwarzchild spacetime and cosmology--are still good, but also more abbreviated; one can't fit everything in. (MTW clearly tried, and although it's the book I'd have on a desert island if I had only one GR book there, Schutz has a big edge over MTW in being portable.)

This book has a good selection of problems, with brief hints and answers. It's excellent for self study--I think actually having it as a course material with a teacher would be rapture.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An introductory text well suited for independent study., January 4, 1999

By 

Charles Benson - See all my reviews

This review is from: A First Course in General Relativity (Paperback)

A fairly complete presentation commencing with special relativity and concluding with gravitational waves and cosmology. Although intended to be used as a classroom text, the mathematically inclined reader with a firm grasp on differential equations and vector calculus can work through the text on one's own. I recommend Steven Wienberg's book GRAVITATION as a companion text for both a different perspective and to help overcome some of the conceptual hurdles.

You don't need to be satisfied with the poetry of lay books when a mathematical understanding is within your grasp!

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid start but you'll need Ohanian/wald, October 26, 2003

By 

Charzi "__washu__" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A First Course in General Relativity (Paperback)

This a very readable book that covers a lot of topics nicely. It gives a solid introduction to many of the main topics in the field. The only complaint I have is that it doesn't cover enough material.
My advice if you want a complete understanding of the field is to buy this and the Ohanian text (which is very thorough, pleasantly readable and does covering just about everything you need). Read them side by side and once that is done move on to Wald. Don't bother with MTW, its is a tome of scattered bits and pieces that work as a reference but it is NOT something from which you want to learn the subject.