The Geometry of Spacetime

An Introduction to Special and General Relativity

James J. Callahan - Collection Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics

451 pages, parution le 10/06/2004

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Résumé

In 1905, Albert Einstein offered a revolutionary theory--special relativity--to explain some of the most troubling problems in current physics concerning electromagnetism and motion. Soon afterwards, Hermann Minkowski recast special relativity essentially as a new geometric structure for spacetime. These ideas are the subject of the first part of the book. The second part develops the main implications of Einstein's general relativity as a theory of gravity rooted in the differential geometry of surfaces.

The author explores the way an individual observer views the world and how a pair of observers collaborate to gain objective knowledge of the world. To encompass both the general and special theory, he uses the geometry of spacetime as the unifying theme of the book. To read it, one needs only a first course in linear algebra and multivariable calculus and familiarity with the physical applications of calculus.

Sommaire

Relativity Before 1905
Special Relativity - Kinematics
Special Relativity - Kinetics
Arbitrary Frames
Surfaces and Curvature
Intrinsic Geometry
General Relativity
Consequences

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Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Springer
Auteur(s)	James J. Callahan
Collection	Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics
Parution	10/06/2004
Nb. de pages	451
Format	18 x 24
Couverture	Relié
Poids	904g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780387986418
ISBN13	978-0-387-98641-8