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Books > Science & Mathematics > Physics > Relativity physics
Albert Einstein is often viewed as the icon of genius, and his
theories are admired for their beauty and correctness. Yet the
final judge of any theory is the rigorous test of experiment, not
the fame of its inventor or the allure of its mathematics. For
decades, general relativity has passed test after test with flying
colors, including some remarkable new tests using the recently
detected gravitational waves. Still, there are reasons for doubt.
Einstein's theory of gravity, as beautiful as it is, seems to be in
direct contradiction with another theory he helped create: quantum
mechanics. Until recently, this was considered to be a purely
academic affair. But as more and more data pour in from the most
distant corners of the universe, hinting at bizarre stuff called
"dark energy" and "dark matter," some scientists have begun to
explore the possibility that Einstein's theory may not provide a
complete picture of the cosmos. This book chronicles the latest
adventures of scientists as they put Einstein's theory to the test
in ever more precise and astonishing ways, and in ever more extreme
situations, when gravity is unfathomably intense and rapidly
churning. From the explosions of neutron stars and the collisions
of black holes to the modern scientific process as a means to seek
truth and understanding in the cosmos, this book takes the reader
on a journey of learning and discovery that has been 100 years in
the making.
This book addresses the latest advances in general relativity
research, including the classical world and spinor formalisms; keys
to understanding gravity; the continuum mechanics of space-time;
new evidences on matter without energy-stress tensor; a new
approach to study gravitational stability of the solutions to the
Einstein equations; Mond theory; polynumbers field theory; the
algebra, geometry and physics of hyperland; S2-like star orbits
near the galactic center in RN and Yukawa gravity; geodesic
analysis in multidimensional gravity models; and the collapsing of
general relativity and the singularity in the event of the Big Bang
and black holes.
An inspiring collection of essays, in which Albert Einstein
addresses the topics that fascinated him as a scientist,
philosopher, and humanitarian Divided by subject matter-"Science,"
"Convictions and Beliefs," "Public Affairs," etc.-these essays
consider everything from the need for a "supranational" governing
body to control war in the atomic age, to freedom in research and
education, to Jewish history and Zionism, to explanations of the
physics and scientific thought that brought him world recognition.
Throughout, Einstein's clear, eloquent voice presents an idealist's
vision and relays complex theories to the layperson. Einstein's
essays share his philosophical beliefs, scientific reasoning, and
hopes for a brighter future, and show how one of the greatest minds
of all time fully engaged with the changing world around him. This
authorized Philosophical Library book features rare photos and
never-before-seen documents from the Albert Einstein Archives at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Relativity Revealed: A Concrete Approach You Can Understand
presents Einstein's special theory of relativity in clear and
simple language. This book is intended for high school students who
may have an interest in science, or for adults who simply want to
know what relativity is all about. The material in the book was
twice presented by the author, Prof. Ray C. Jones, in a series of
popular public lectures at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
Special relativity concerns the differences in physical quantities,
such as time intervals, lengths and masses, that occur when
measured by observers who are in constant speed motion relative to
each other or to the objects being measured. Although relativity
begins with simple statements about the speed of light and the
nature of clocks, we soon find that it changes our perceptions of
space and time and leads to an understanding of nuclear fission and
fusion processes and the radiation of energy from the sun. This
book, by an exceptional teacher, is a very good place to begin to
learn of these things. In this book, Prof. Jones develops the major
ideas of relativity from simple postulates about observations of
the speed of light. The basic ideas are presented in simple
language, but are then extended into a consistent logical framework
with the aid of some minimal high school level mathematics. (The
details of mathematical developments are presented in Appendices
that will help to sharpen reader's skills.)
Tired of popular science books written by renowned physicists who
think you cannot comprehend what they do, so... all you deserve is
the illusion of understanding? If yes, this is the book for you.
The fact that the reader may not have a scientific education does
not mean that s/he does not have the intelligence to understand
profound concepts -- as long as they are presented with semantic
and epistemological clarity. After all, Einstein said that Science
is simply the refinement of our intuition and everyday experiences.
Galloping with Light is a symbolic cavalcade that starts with the
discovery of fire 1.5 million years ago; it allegorically employs
the imagination of an adolescent called Einstein to explain the
Theory of Relativity in non-scientific terms, and ends with the
Apollo 11 landing on the Moon in 1969 -- depositing on lunar soil a
laser retro-reflector which would prove, once again, that Einstein
was right. Motivated by his own difficulties to understand
Relativity Theory, and convinced that it is possible to teach the
layperson without distorting the subject matter, the author takes
an approach utterly opposed to that of most popular science books.
Knowing he has to demolish what the reader understands by time,
distance, and motion, the author -using his experiences as a child,
adolescent, and adult- dedicates the first half of the book to
convince the reader that our intuition and common sense, as applied
to those three everyday concepts, have a foundation as solid as
that of a castle on the sand. The purpose of this book is to
demystify and 'defolklorize' the reader; to destroy the aura of
mystery and incomprehensibility surrounding Relativity Theory,
unmasking and debunking the body of popular (and scientific)
beliefs (mostly erroneous) which -taking advantage of the confusion
between relativity and subjectivity, as well as of Einstein's
popularity and prestige- have been used to validate preposterous
assertions in fields like psychology, morality, spirituality,
sociology, literature, art, etc.
A nut and its shell, like any X and Y, are joined and separated by
a circle. The line is always diameter and circumference of a
circle. Thus, pi controls reality, 50-50.
The assertion about the possibility of motion faster than light
does not contradict the special relativity. In order to develop the
special relativity, is sufficient to assume independence of the
speed of light on the reference frame. From equations of special
relativity, it follows that object moving faster than light in
vacuum cannot be carrier of causal relationship. In the reference
frame S3, moving with superluminal speed relative to the reference
frame S2, temporal and spatial axes are swapped. Therefore, causal
relationships in reference frames S2 and S3 are different. There
exists a reference frame S1, moving relative to the reference frame
S2 with speed v
The General Principle Of Relativity In Its Philosophical And
Historical Aspect (1920)
Relativity: The Special and the General Theory began as a short
paper and was eventually published as a book written by Albert
Einstein with the aim of giving:
. . . an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those
readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of
view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with
the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.
- from the Preface
It was first published in German in 1916 and later translated into
English in 1920. It is divided into 3 parts, the first dealing with
special relativity, the second dealing with general relativity and
the third dealing with considerations on the universe as a whole.
There have been many versions published since the original in 1916,
the latest in December, 2011. The work has been labeled by whom?]
unique in that it gives readers an insight into the thought
processes of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
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