The Principle of Relativity (Dover Books on Physics) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Francis A. Davis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Here are the 11 papers that forged the general and special theories of relativity: seven papers by Einstein, plus two papers by Lorentz and one each by Minkowski and Weyl. "A thrill to read again the original papers by these giants." — School Science and Mathematics. 1923 edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1952)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486600815
• ISBN-13: 978-0486600819
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #76,033 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Einstein: the originals, January 15, 2002

By	henrique fleming (Sao Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews

Of course this is a five-star book: it contains two of the most
important scientific documents of all time! It is, of course, not a book for beginners: the very Planck, who was the editor of the Annalen der Physik, where the German originals were published, had to ask for explanations a few times, in order to grasp the meaning of the "Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies". The teaching of relativity is now done in a rather different way, emphasizing, from the beginning, the 4-dimensional picture, as in Taylor-Wheeler's "Spacetime physics". Einstein's paper is on a modification of electrodynamics to make it agree with the tenets of relativity (the particular inertial frame being used is of no effect at all). In order to do that he finds it necessary to change mechanics, and actually the very basic concepts of mechanics. In contrast, the great paper on general relativity "Foundations of general relativity" has pedagogical preocupations, and is quite readable, including an interesting introduction to tensors which clearly shows that, master of the physics of the problem, Einstein was a novice at the mathematics of it. This book is a treasure. There are also papers by Lorentz, Poincare' and others. Great fun. But, learn your relativity first!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Essential Reading, March 23, 1999

By	Alexander Ibrahim [[e-mail]] (United States) - See all my reviews

This is a collection of the original papers that led to the principle of relativity.

The book gives excellent insight as to how and why the theory was developed. It clearly shows how the theory better explains certain parts of our universe.

The only drawback is that the mathematical level may cause the book to be unapproachable to many. I reccommend at least one year of Calculus if you intend to understand the works fully. Without such a background the book is difficult at best, but still rewarding.

If you lack this background you might be better served by reading Einsteins Relativity, the first book in the list above of what purchasers of this book also bought.

Nonetheless I agree with the School Science and Mathematics review,"It is really a thrill to read again the original papers by these giants."

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How science should be written, April 16, 2004

By	Professor Joseph L. McCauley "Joseph L. McCauley" (Austria+Texas) - See all my reviews

Reading the original papers would be best, but if you don't read German then the Dover collection is the next best thing. In the paper on special relativity, the Lorentz transformations are derived via formulating and solving a first order pde, a treatment that no textbook presents (first order pdes aren't taught in math physics, in spite of the fact that every set of first order autonomous odes generates a first order pde). It took my teaching the subject to advanced undergrads in later years to realize what many others have by now noticed, namely, you don't need two postulates for special relativity. "Galilean invariance" is enough. The constancy of the speed of light follows from the requirement that there is no special reference frame.

Einstein's presentation of GR is unsurpassed for conciseness and clarity, is a model for other researchers to follow when writing papers. Here, he introduces the famous misconception (corrected today in the better texts like Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler) that general covariance is a physical principle. Well, even the greatest minds make mistakes.

Feynman wrote well, but no scientist to date has written better than Einstein.