Customer Reviews

Special Relativity (Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book requires only a working knowledge of linear algebra and multivariate calculus, and a basic understanding of classical mechanics and electromagnetism.

The author begins by providing a simple but general mathematical exposition of relative motion in classical mechanics. The next two chapters review Maxwell's equations and what they imply for the propagation of light. Having set the stage in this way, the axioms of Einstein's theory are introduced and their implications worked out mathematically, leading the reader to a clear understanding of Minkowski four-dimensional space time and the Lorentz transformation. The exposition is accompanied by a number of classic brainteasers in special relativity.

The weak spot (and hence only four stars) is the treatment of the mass-energy equivalence, which does not include a rigorous derivation of Einstein's famous formula E=mc^2, even though such a derivation is no more demanding mathematically or conceptually than the other issues discussed in the book.

In sum, this book should appeal to any mathematically literate non-physicist who wants more than just a superficial introduction of Einstein's special relativity.

This is a splendid and very carefully prepared book. It gives very clear and concise explanations of the physical content of the special theory of relativity, and it puts those explanations together directly with the simplest correct mathematical descriptions. It makes the subject as simple as possible---but not simpler. The explanation is clear, and the problems are particularly well chosen and insightful. It is a way to establish a true and complete understanding of the subject as quickly as is reasonably possible. In my opinion, it is the best available introduction and the only book that is really "best choice" for a first course in the subject or as the primary text for self-study.

Not everyone has the same taste. Some people would like to study the subject with as much mathematics being forgiven as possible. Those people will want T. M. Helliwell's book "Special Relativity" instead. Most books that try to avoid almost all the mathematics end up avoiding almost everything interesting and sometimes give the wrong impression, at least in some details. Helliwell is distinguished among the "math lite" approaches.

An alternative textbook introduction is A.P. French "Special Relativity," intended for M.I.T. freshmen. Taylor and Wheeler offer "Spacetime Physics," roughly a more "Caltech like" or "Princeton like" approach. Wolfgang Rindler offers "Introduction to Special Relativity." Both French and Taylor/Wheeler are a little bit simpler, yet thorough introductions, and it is likely that most students would want one or the other as a supplementary text, especially if the goal is pure self-study. Taylor/Wheeler is more colorfully phrased. Rindler's book is almost encyclopedically complete, although I find some sections of his writing to be less clear than they really should be---considering that he is a world class scholar writing for one of the world's top technical publishing houses. Because his treatment is so complete, I think most people will want his book as their long-term reference on the subject. In my own opinion, these are all the "good" books on the subject. If you are a college junior or further along, Woodhouse seems the logical place to begin. College freshmen will probably want to start with French or Taylor/Wheeler instead. High school and below will probably make a better start with Helliwell.