Customer Reviews

Introduction to Special Relativity

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I used this textbook in my first undergraduate relativity course, and it is still one of the best introductions to the subject that I have ever read.

While the book is aimed at second or third semester physics students, the math is confined to straightforward algebra. Although this makes the formalism a little less "neat" than in other treatments, it makes the subject much more understandable, especially for readers with less experience in higher mathematics.

The writing style is easy to read, and there are many good explanations and worked-out examples. The "Twin Paradox", for example, is not only solved in its entirety, but cross-checked using three different approaches, all of which use special relativity alone. The exercises in each chapter are well chosen, and prompt the reader to understand the significance of the answers.

I consider this to be one of the best undergraduate introductory textbooks in relativity, and also recommend it to anyone with at least a high-school algebra background who wishes to learn more about this fascinating subject.

This is a fine book on Special Relativity. All one needs is a grasp of algebra to follow the text. There are quite a few exercises at the end of each chapter. I specially like the fact that the author discusses the non-relativistic approach to a concept followed by the relativistic view. The chapters on Momentum and Energy and Particles of Zero Mass are plain excellent.

Since no calculus to speak of is used some of the "derivations" are quite awkard. But that is a minor cavil. If you are still in school and algebra is fresh on your mind, this book will be a breeze. If your algebra is rusty, journey on, albeit slowly. The reward at the end of the road is worth it!

Being a sophmore in high school I am taking a physics class. We had to learn about Special Relativity. It was a hard idea to grasp at first, but the book explained it well. I am very glad I came across the book. The only thing I would like different is for it to be not so wordy.

This book has a physics' approach to the Special Relativity. It starts with an overview of classical physics (Galileu transformations, energy and momentum conservation laws) and then by the simple concepts of Special Relativity (the Principle of Relativity, the constant speed of light, proper time, Lorentz contraction and simultaneity) - all using a very friendly physics' approach (instead of a math approach). More complex subjects are explained at the end of the book - including the new math of four-vectors and Lorentz invariants.

If you are a beginner in Special Relativity, this is the book for you.

This book as some flaws though:
- there is no chapter for Minkowski spacetime diagrams
- the chapter about the electro-magnetic field is a little bit poor
- some exercices regarding particle collisions are not very clear
- there are no solutions for the exercices (at least on the English edition)

Strong points of this book:
- explains Special Relativity from a Physics perspective (and not from a Math perspective)
- the new Math (four-vectors, four-scalars) is introduced only after the Physics concepts have been fully explained, so it is easier to understand it (and its utility)
- the basic concepts of Special Relativity are very well explained

If You want to have the worked out solutions to all the exercises in this book, get the french translation of this book at Amazon.fr.