Relativity An Introduction to Spacetime Physics

Provides the essential principles and results of special relativity as required by undergraduates. The text uses a geometric interpretation of space-time so that a general theory is seen as a natural extension of the special theory. Although most results are derived from first principles, complex and distracting mathematics is avoided and all mathematical steps and formulae are fully explained and interpreted, often with explanatory diagrams.; The emphasis throughout the text is on understanding the physics of relativity. The structure of the book is designed to allow students of different courses to choose their own route through the short self-contained sections in each chapter. The latter part of the book shows how Einstein's theory of gravity is central to unraveling fundamental questions of cosmology.

Part One: Classical Physics 1. What is Classical Physics? 2. Newtonian Mechanics 3. Gravity 4. Maxwell's Electromagnetism 5. The Wave Model of Light 6. A Summary of Classical Physics to 1900; Part Two: Problems With Space and Time: The Problems of Motion and Change 7. The Problem of the Ether 8. The Michelson-Morley Experiment 9. The Principle of Relativity 10. Time Dilation 11. The Time Dilation Formula 12. Testing Time Dilation 13. Length Contraction 14. The Relativity of Similtaneity 15. Synchronization Errors and Corrections 16. Relativistic Velocity Addition 17. Relativistic Mass 18. Mass and Energy 19. Mass Energy and Particle Physics 20. The Twin Paradox, the First Look 21. The Lorentz Transformation 22. Using the Lorentz Transformation 23. Summary of Ideas and Equations in Part Two 24. Problems; Part Three: Space-Time: The Geometry of Space and Time 25. Space-Time Diagrams 26. Special Relativity and Geometry 27. Relativity and Geometry 28. Velocity Momentum and Energy 29. Space-Time Mechanics 30. Examples From Particle Physics 31. Summary of Ideas and Equations in Part Three 32, Problems; Part Four: General Relativity and Cosmology: Inertial Forces 33. The Equivalence Principle 34. Gravity and Light 35. Gravity and Time 36. The Geometry of Curvature 37. Gravity and Geometry 38. Non-Euclidean Geometry 39. The General Theory 40. The Geometry of the Universe 41. Black Holes 42. Gravitational Waves 43. Summary of Ideas and Equations in Part Four 44. Problems