Clarity, readability and rigor combine in the second edition of this widely-used textbook to provide the first step into general relativity for undergraduate students with a minimal background in mathematics. Topics within relativity that fascinate astrophysical researchers and students alike are covered with Schutz's characteristic ease and authority - from black holes to gravitational lenses, from pulsars to the study of the Universe as a whole. This edition now contains discoveries by astronomers that require general relativity for their explanation; a revised chapter on relativistic stars, including new information on pulsars; an entirely rewritten chapter on cosmology; and an extended, comprehensive treatment of modern detectors and expected sources. Over 300 exercises, many new to this edition, give students the confidence to work with general relativity and the necessary mathematics, whilst the informal writing style makes the subject matter easily accessible.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||
 Sell Back Your Copy for $32.75
Whether you buy it used on Amazon for $44.94 or somewhere else, you can sell it back through our Book Trade-In Program at the current price of $32.75.
Used Price$44.94
Trade-in Price$32.75
Price after
Trade-in$12.19 |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Schutz has done a masterful job of incorporating ... new developments into a revised edition, which is sure to become a new "classic." I look forward to teaching out of the second edition of "first course."
Clifford M Will, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St Louis
"This new edition retains all of the original's clarity and insight into the mathematical foundations of general relativity, but thoroughly updates the accounts of the application of the theory in astrophysics and cosmology, which have moved on considerably ... The result is an indispensable volume for anyone wishing to develop a deep and physically well-motivated understanding of relativistic gravitation, and this new edition will no doubt become a classic text in its own right."
Mike Hobson, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
"Schutz has updated his eminently readable and eminently teachable A First Course in General Relativity. The result maintains the style of the first edition -- intuitively and physically motivated presentation of the subject. ... This text will be appreciated by any upper level undergraduate with an interest in cosmology, astrophysics, or experimentation in gravitational physics."
Richard Matzner, The Center for Relativity, University of Texas at Austin
"Well laid out, developing logically and amply illustrated. Absolutely recommended."
Times Higher Education Supplement
Clifford M Will, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St Louis
"This new edition retains all of the original's clarity and insight into the mathematical foundations of general relativity, but thoroughly updates the accounts of the application of the theory in astrophysics and cosmology, which have moved on considerably ... The result is an indispensable volume for anyone wishing to develop a deep and physically well-motivated understanding of relativistic gravitation, and this new edition will no doubt become a classic text in its own right."
Mike Hobson, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
"Schutz has updated his eminently readable and eminently teachable A First Course in General Relativity. The result maintains the style of the first edition -- intuitively and physically motivated presentation of the subject. ... This text will be appreciated by any upper level undergraduate with an interest in cosmology, astrophysics, or experimentation in gravitational physics."
Richard Matzner, The Center for Relativity, University of Texas at Austin
"Well laid out, developing logically and amply illustrated. Absolutely recommended."
Times Higher Education Supplement
Book Description
Clarity, readability and rigor combine in the second edition of this widely-used textbook to provide the first step into general relativity for undergraduate students with a minimal background in mathematics. Over 300 exercises give students the confidence to work with general relativity and the necessary mathematics.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
133 of 136 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Superb Book,
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.
50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An introductory text well suited for independent study.,
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!
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid start but you'll need Ohanian/wald,
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.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
