General Relativity [Paperback]

I. R. Kenyon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0198519966 | ISBN-13: 978-0198519966

Einstein's general theory of relativity is perhaps the most important perspective to emerge in a century of astonishing progress in the field of physics. However, it is also a notoriously difficult subject for beginning students. This book describes general relativity in terms understandable to undergraduates in physics and astronomy. It discusses concepts and experimental results, and provides a succinct account of formalism. A brief review of special relativity is followed by a discussion of the equivalence principle and its implications. Other topics covered include concepts of curvature and the Schwarzschild metric, tests of the theory of relativity, black holes and their properties, gravitational radiation and methods for its detection, the impact of general relativity on cosmology, and the continuing search for a quantum theory of gravity. A set of worked examples, background appendices, and an annotated bibliography are also included. Written at a level accessible to nonspecialists, this book is especially strong on the experimental physics of relativity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book includes an excellent discussion of the equivalence principle, and of the traditional and some newer tests of the general theory...For physicists and astronomers, this is a very useful addition to available undergraduate textbooks on general relativity."--NY Times Higher Education Supplement

"Concise enough to fit into a one-semester format, yet covers enough topics so that the reader can become familiar with many important terms, problems and prospects in the field. . . .The reader, or student, will gain from this book an exposure to the major features, successes and problems of general relativity." --Mathematical Reviews

About the Author

I. R. Kenyon is at Birmingham University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 20, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198519966
• ISBN-13: 978-0198519966
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,482,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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