Relativity

Produktbeschreibung

Einstein's theory of relativity shattered the world of physics - replacing Newtonian ideas of space and time with bizarre and counterintuitive conclusions: a world of slowing clocks and stretched space, black holes and curved space-time. This Very Short Introduction explores and explains the theory in an accessible and understandable way. 

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1: Special relativity
The Principle of Relativity and the speed of light
Time dilation
The Twin Paradox
Length contraction
Loss of simultaneity
Space-time diagrams
Four-dimensional spacetime
The ultimate speed
E=mc2
2: General Relativity
The Equivalence Principle
The effects on time of acceleration and gravity
The bending of light
Curved space
Black holes
Gravitational Waves
The Universe
Further reading
Index 

Autoreninfo

Russell Stannard is Emeritus Professor of Physics at The Open University where for 21 years he headed the Physics Department. A high energy nuclear physicist, he has carried out research at CERN and Geneva, as well as other laboratories in the USA and Europe. Among his awards he has the OBE, he received the Bragg Medal from the Institute of Physics, and been made Fellow of University College London. A prolific writer for both adults and children, his books are translated into 20 languages and have been shortlisted for many scientific book prizes. He is perhaps best known for his Uncle Albert books which explain relativity and quantum mechanics for young people.