The Theory of Relativity: & Other Essays [Hardcover]

Albert Einstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

E=mc2: It may be Einstein’s most well-known contribution to modern science, but how many people understand the thought process or physics behind this famous equation? In this collection of his seven most important essays on physics, Einstein guides his reader step-by-step through the many layers of scientific theory that formed a starting point for his discoveries. By both supporting and refuting the theories and scientific efforts of his predecessors, Einstein reveals in a clear voice the origins and meaning of such significant topics as physics and reality, the fundamentals of theoretical physics, the common language of science, the laws of science and of ethics, and an elementary derivation of the equivalence of mass and energy. This remarkable collection allows the general reader to understand not only the significance of Einstein’s masterpiece, but also the brilliant mind behind it. This authorized Philosophical Library ebook features a new introduction by Neil Berger and an illustrated biography of Albert Einstein, which includes rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “The ‘principle of relativity’ in its widest sense is contained in the statement: The totality of physical phenomena is of such a character that it gives no basis for the introduction of the concept of “absolute motion;” or shorter but less precise: There is no absolute motion.” —Albert Einstein, “The Theory of Relativity” Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was born in Germany and became an American citizen in 1940. A world-famous theoretical physicist, he as awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics and is renowned for his Theory of Relativity. In addition to his scientific work, Einstein was an influential humanist who spoke widely about politics, ethics, and social causes. After leaving Europe, Einstein taught at Princeton University. His theories were instrumental in shaping the atomic age. Neil Berger, an associate professor emeritus of mathematics, taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science department from 1968 until his retirement in 2001. He was the recipient of the first Monroe H. Martin Prize (1975), which is now awarded by the University of Maryland every five years for a singly authored outstanding applied mathematics research paper. He has published numerous papers and reviews in his fields of expertise, which include elasticity, tensor analysis, scattering theory, and fluid mechanics.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The ‘principle of relativity’ in its widest sense is contained in the statement: The totality of physical phenomena is of such a character that it gives no basis for the introduction of the concept of “absolute motion;” or shorter but less precise: There is no absolute motion.” —Albert Einstein, “The Theory of Relativity”

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Fine Communications; Later Printing edition (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567312470
• ISBN-13: 978-1567312478
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was born in Germany and became an American citizen in 1940. A world-famous theoretical physicist, he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics and is renowned for his Theory of Relativity. In addition to his scientific work, Einstein was an influential humanist who spoke widely about politics, ethics, and social causes. After leaving Europe, Einstein taught at Princeton University. His theories were instrumental in shaping the atomic age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The source, February 2, 2002

By 

LittleRay "littleray" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theory of Relativity: & Other Essays (Hardcover)

If you're looking for a great place to start learning about Relativity and physics in general, this is it. Even if your math skills have lost their luster it won't be a problem. I recommend reading this first, then if you're having trouble or don't understand a few points, read Einstein's Universe by Nigel Calder.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars einstein & his relativity, August 10, 2000

By 

sunil chomal (bombay, india) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theory of Relativity: & Other Essays (Hardcover)

einstein, who opened our mind to see beyond was the common man could do, to see beyond what our limited senses told us about our world. the concept of relativity is an eye opener, and what better way to know about it than by reading the works of the man who envisaged the theory. each of the essays in this book are worth the price in itself. a must buy book for every budding physicst!!!

3 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faster is heavier in this book., January 12, 2002

By 

Bruce P. Barten - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theory of Relativity: & Other Essays (Hardcover)

This is one of the slimmest books that I bought in 2001, bargain priced, and I was sure it could tell me a lot about myself as well as about how Einstein thought. I spent 1964 through 1967 studying the kind of mechanics which Einstein is thought to have expanded into another dimension by making time an axis which allows consideration of systems moving at different speeds. E=mc-squared was a formula that I knew from high school. When I was learning calculus at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1965, it seemed to be the perfect mathematics for expressing what happens to objects in motion. In algebra, the big problem for those of us with a one track mind, capable of being surprised by solutions which didn't actually fit the problem, was solving equations in ways which did not involve a solution that required dividing both sides of an equation by zero. In calculus, major trends were often considered much more important than minor trends when everything was divided by quantities that were so small, they were like numbers approaching zero, and borderline concepts were subject to the kind of ambivalence that makes borderline psychological experiences such a booming field in the area of personality disorders, but the key thing about this book is the attempt to keep an eye on what can be learned from science. I thought that I was picking up what still made sense to me in the U of M introduction to Physics until there was a question on the final exam which asked for a mathematical manipulation of equations to produce the result E = mc-squared. I knew some equations, and wrote a few things down, but I didn't come up with that answer. I think I even looked in the textbook after the test, to see if I had forgotten something which was on one page, but I couldn't find that page. This book has what I should have known then.

The final section of the book, 7. AN ELEMENTARY DERIVATION OF THE EQUIVALENCE OF MASS AND ENERGY, from pages 70 to 73, claims to use the law of conservation of momentum, an expression for the pressure of radiation, and two coordinate systems, one of which is moving rapidly along the direction of the axis of a system which is fixed relative to a body that has equal radiation hitting it from both sides. I doubt if the professor for the Physics class expected me to think of this method of finding that E = mc-squared, and I'm still not sure that I believe this approach proves it. In the still system, the momentums of equal and opposite radiation complexes cancel each other completely, so the amount of energy which might be involved doesn't matter. For the system which is moving, the radiation is assumed to be hitting the body from some angle related to that speed, and the change of momentum added by the component along the axis of motion does not change the speed, so the additional momentum is considered an addition to the mass of the body. The mathematical solution depends on solving equations for the difference in the mass observed for using two different systems, one of which is observing zero momentum, and the other thinking, "We anticipate here the possibility that the mass increased with the absorption of the energy E (this is necessary so that the final result of our consideration be consistent)." I believe Albert Einstein wrote this book, but I still wonder what it is telling us.