Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read relativity. The special and the general theory by albert einstein 2010 reprint of 1920 first english edition. An accesible version of einsteins masterpiece of theory, written by the genius himself. 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. The first edition of this novel was published in 1916, and was written by albert einstein.
Einsteins theories shocked the world with their counterintuitive results, including the dissolution of absolute time. Page 5 according to the general theory of relativity, the geometrical properties of space are not independent, but they are determined by matter. Einsteins theory fits in an unusual place for introductory books on the topic. Einsteins pathway to the special theory of relativity. Albert einstein the special theory of relativity genius. General relativity, or the general theory of relativity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by albert einstein in 1916 and the current description of gravitation in modern physics.
Librivox recording of relativity by albert einstein translated by robert w. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. In it, he made the simple assumption that the laws of physics and in particular the speed of light, should appear to be the same to all u. This book quickly gets to the issue of why there even needs to be a theory of special relativity. This book details the basics and phenomenon of relativistic physics using examples, solved problems and new axiomatics. The special and general theory albert einstein the physicist and humanitarian took his place beside the great teachers with the publication of relativity. Einsteins theory of special relativity created a fundamental link between space and time. It is suitable for those who has not yet started to physics degree or will not, but would like to understand the theory in a deeper and mathematical manner. A summary of special relativity in s albert einstein. There are a great number of really excellent books on relativity, but no particular book is good for everyone.
General relativity gr, also known as the general theory of relativity gtr, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by albert einstein in 1915 and the current description of gravitation in modern physics. In this book einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas and principles of the. Between 1902 and 1905, einstein sat in the patent office and may have made calculations on old pieces of paper that were once patent drafts. The special and the general theory 100th anniversary. Starting with the special theory and its limited applicability and the later development of the more universal general theory, aimed at covering the deficiencies of the former. Einsteins theory of relativity dover books on physics. An accesible version of einsteins masterpiece of theory, written by the genius himself according to einstein himself, this book is intended to give 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. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of albert einstein and what it means. The theory of special relativity was introduced first and was later considered to be a special case of the more comprehensive theory of general relativity. Einsteins monograph on the theory of relativity is simply brilliant, of course, and i wouldnt presume to critique his work. His theory of relativity is the most important scientific idea of the modern era. The first edition of the novel was published in 1916, and was written by albert einstein. He states at the beginning of the book that hes trying to keep it concise and at a level where most people should be able to understand the small amounts of mathematics he uses.
Relativity is einsteins attempt to explain special and general relativity to a general audience. Then, at the end of 1916, he published a small book entitled on the special and the general theory of relativity, generally comprehensible. One can imagine einstein trying to hide from his boss, writing notes on small sheets of paper, and, according to reports. Special relativity applies to all physical phenomena in the absence of gravity. An accesible version of einsteins masterpiece of theory, written by th. Albert einstein is the unquestioned founder of modern physics.
Einstein just removed the ether entirely and assumed that the laws of physics, including the speed of light, worked the same regardless of how you were moving exactly as experiments and mathematics showed them to be. There is an old book by max born, called einsteins theory of relativity which explains the special relativity in great detail without any advanced mathematics and a little bit of general relativity. To be honest i imagine that selflearning relativity to be quite difficult. Part 1 of the paper that changed the way we understand the universe. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. My failure to grasp the complexity of einsteins special and general theory of relativity is a result of my inexperience in the field of physics. An object remains in uniform motion unless acted on. In this book he brings a simplified form of his profound understanding of the subject to the layperson. The new book by jeffrey bennett introduces einsteins theory of relativity to a lay audience, explaining why black holes dont suck and other phenomena. In 1905, a 26 year old einstein published his paper on the electrodynamics of moving bodies. The book walks the reader through the development of the special and general theories of relativity and the supporting theories they were built upon. This book will elucidate all the iconic thoughts of einstein without requiring a physics degree from the reader. In this book einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas and principles of the theory which has shaped the world we live.
What is the best book for selflearning special and. The special and the general theory by albert einstein. The book was written by einstein so that the average person, who was not a physicist or mathematician, but was interested in his theory of relativity could easily understand it in laymans terms. The special and general theory, einsteins own popular translation of the physics that shaped our truths of space and time. But empire books, or whatever flybynight publisher was responsible for this particular edition of the book, was inexcusably negligent. The special and general theory may not sound very attractive at first. A superquick, superpainless guide to the theory that conquered the universe. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project. First english translation of einsteins theory of relativity. Special and general relativity explain the structure of space time and provide a theory of gravitation, respectively. The basic idea is so elegant that you dont need superpowers to understand it.
The special theory of relativity albert einstein 15. In albert einsteins original pedagogical treatment, it is based on two postulates. It is certainly one of the most remarkable achievements of science to date, it was developed by einstein with little or no experimental motivation but driven instead by philosophical questions. The special and general theory by albert einstein free ebook project gutenberg. In this work einstein intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general and scientific philosophical.
What are good books for special relativity stack exchange. The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated theories by albert einstein. The special and the general theory translation by einstein, albert isbn. I am slowly expanding my knowledge, and while i started off with a basic understanding of special and general relativity, this book has been a gem in the pool of information. For 100 years, the general theory of relativity has been a pillar of modern physics. The general theory of relativity christopher monroe. In physics, special relativity also known as the special theory of relativity is the generally accepted and experimentally confirmed physical theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In 1905, albert einstein, a 26yearold patent clerk, wrote a paper that revolutionized science. In 1916, he published a treatise entitled foundations of the general theory of relativity, in which he established the terminology of special and general relativity and presented his theory formally. General relativity explained like youve never seen before. In 1905, albert einstein published the theory of special relativity, which explains how to interpret motion between different inertial frames of reference that is, places that are moving at constant speeds relative to each other. The special and general theory dover books on physics. With the publication of albert einsteins special and general theories of relativity, however, traditional approaches to solving the riddles of space and time. General relativity generalizes special relativity and refines newtons law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space.
The special theory was first proposed in 1905 in einsteins paper. This book pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of einsteins journey to discovering the special theory of relativity. Weve all heard of einsteins equation but how many people can actually explain what it means. Newtonian physics and special relativity 1 1 relativity principles and gravitation 3. The principle of relativity in the restricted sense in order to attain the greatest possible clearness, let us return to our example of the railway carriage supposed to be travelling uniformly. General relativity explains the law of gravitation and. In his special theory of relativity, einstein explained that the speed of light was constant but that both space and time were relative to the position of the observer. Albert einstein 5 preface december, 1916 the present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view. A handsome annotated edition of einsteins celebrated book on relativity. General relativity is a theory of gravitation that albert einstein developed between 1907 and 1915, with. Buy einsteins theory of relativity dover books on physics book online at best prices in india on.
The special and the general theory by albert einstein 17,167 ratings, 4. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of pages and is available in paperback format. The special and the general theory ebook written by albert einstein, general press. An arbitrary but fixed inertial system is chosen, where the known velocity of light is measured. Lawson this is an introduction to einsteins spacebending, timestretching theory of relativity, written by the master himself. This book discusses in detail the special theory of relativity without including all the instruments of theoretical physics, enabling readers who are not budding theoretical physicists to develop competence in the field. It clearly explains what postulates are unwavering and why and then proceeds to show how the other generally accepted physics concepts, which appear at first to be at odds with each other, can in fact coexist.
What is the special theory of relativity by einstein. Generalized theory of gravitation the theory of the pure gravitational field on the basis of the general theory of relativity is therefore readily obtainable, because we may be confident that the fieldfree minkowski space with its metric in conformity with 1 must satisfy the general laws of field. The special and general theory albert einstein full view 1920. The special and the general theory, einstein describes the theories that made him famous, illuminating his case with numerous examples and a smattering of math nothing more complex than highschool algebra. The special theory of relativity einsteins world in new. According to einstein himself, this book is intended to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those. The book was published in multiple languages including english language, consists of pages and is available in paperback format.