Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell (Princeton University Press) - Hardcover

Zee, A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 069114558X ISBN 13: 9780691145587

Verlag: Princeton Univers. Press, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

An ideal introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity

This unique textbook provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity, a subject of breathtaking beauty and supreme importance in physics. With his trademark blend of wit and incisiveness, A. Zee guides readers from the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics to the most exciting frontiers of research today, including de Sitter and anti-de Sitter spacetimes, Kaluza-Klein theory, and brane worlds. Unlike other books on Einstein gravity, this book emphasizes the action principle and group theory as guides in constructing physical theories. Zee treats various topics in a spiral style that is easy on beginners, and includes anecdotes from the history of physics that will appeal to students and experts alike. He takes a friendly approach to the required mathematics, yet does not shy away from more advanced mathematical topics such as differential forms. The extensive discussion of black holes includes rotating and extremal black holes and Hawking radiation. The ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students, Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell also provides an essential resource for professional physicists and is accessible to anyone familiar with classical mechanics and electromagnetism. It features numerous exercises as well as detailed appendices covering a multitude of topics not readily found elsewhere.

• Provides an accessible introduction to Einstein's general theory of relativity
• Guides readers from Newtonian mechanics to the frontiers of modern research
• Emphasizes symmetry and the Einstein-Hilbert action
• Covers topics not found in standard textbooks on Einstein gravity
• Includes interesting historical asides
• Features numerous exercises and detailed appendices
• Ideal for students, physicists, and scientifically minded lay readers
• Solutions manual (available only to teachers)

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

A. Zee is professor of physics at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell and Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics (both Princeton).

Von der hinteren Coverseite

"Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell is a remarkably complete and thorough textbook on general relativity, written in a refreshing and engaging style. Zee leads us through all the major intellectual steps that make what is surely one of the most profound and beautiful theories of all time. The book is enjoyable and informative in equal measure. Quite an achievement."--Pedro Ferreira, University of Oxford

"Zee's new text on gravitation provides a wonderful introduction to Einstein's theory. Written at a level accessible to undergraduates, it prepares its readers for work at the research frontier, gently leading the reader to a modern and sophisticated understanding of the subject with a humorous, often conversational style. Providing broad coverage of the subject, including cosmology and black holes, it is an excellent complement to Hartle's book and good preparation for Carroll's."--Michael Dine, University of California, Santa Cruz

"Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell is richly infused with the author's wit and wisdom, with a refreshing emphasis on concepts rather than mathematics. Zee's writing is characteristically insightful, humorous, irreverent, and accessible."--Andrew Hamilton, University of Colorado, Boulder

Aus dem Klappentext

"Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell is a remarkably complete and thorough textbook on general relativity, written in a refreshing and engaging style. Zee leads us through all the major intellectual steps that make what is surely one of the most profound and beautiful theories of all time. The book is enjoyable and informative in equal measure. Quite an achievement."--Pedro Ferreira, University of Oxford

"Zee's new text on gravitation provides a wonderful introduction to Einstein's theory. Written at a level accessible to undergraduates, it prepares its readers for work at the research frontier, gently leading the reader to a modern and sophisticated understanding of the subject with a humorous, often conversational style. Providing broad coverage of the subject, including cosmology and black holes, it is an excellent complement to Hartle's book and good preparation for Carroll's."--Michael Dine, University of California, Santa Cruz

"Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell is richly infused with the author's wit and wisdom, with a refreshing emphasis on concepts rather than mathematics. Zee's writing is characteristically insightful, humorous, irreverent, and accessible."--Andrew Hamilton, University of Colorado, Boulder

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Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell

By A. Zee

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2013 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-14558-7

Contents

Preface....................................................................
xi
0 Part 0: Setting the Stage................................................
ONE Book One: From Newton to the Gravitational Redshift....................
I Part I: From Newton to Riemann: Coordinates to Curvature.................
II Part II: Action, Symmetry, and Conservation.............................
III Part III: Space and Time Unified.......................................
IV Part IV: Electromagnetism and Gravity...................................
TWO Book Two: From the Happiest Thought to the Universe....................
V Part V: Equivalence Principle and Curved Spacetime.......................
VI Part VI: Einstein's Field Equation Derived and Put to Work..............
VII Part VII: Black Holes..................................................
VIII Part VIII: Introduction to Our Universe...............................
THREE Book Three: Gravity at Work and at Play..............................
IX Part IX: Aspects of Gravity.............................................
X Part X: Gravity Past, Present, and Future................................
Closing Words..............................................................
777
Timeline of Some of the People Mentioned...................................
791
Solutions to Selected Exercises............................................
793
Bibliography...............................................................
819
Index......................................................................
821
Collection of Formulas and Conventions.....................................
859

Excerpt

<h2>CHAPTER 1</h2><p><b>Newton's Laws</p><br><p>The foundational equation of our subject</b></p><p>For in those days I was in the prime of my age for inventionand minded Mathematicks & Philosophy more than at any timesince.</p><p>—Newton describing his youth in his memoirs</p><br><p>Let us start with one of Newton's laws, which curiously enough is spoken as <i>F = ma</i> butwritten as <i>ma = F</i>. For a point particle moving in <i>D</i>-dimensional space with position givenby [??](<i>t</i>) = (<i>x</i><sup>1</sup>(<i>t</i>), <i>x</i><sup>2</sup>(<i>t</i>), ..., <i>x<sup>D</sup>(t)</i>), Mr. Newton taught us that</p><p><i>m d</i><sup>2</sup><i>x<sup>i</sup>/dt</i>2 = <i>F<sup>i</sup></i> (1)</p><p>with the index <i>i</i> = 1, ..., <i>D</i>. For D ≤ 3 the coordinates have traditional "names": forexample, for <i>D</i> = 3, <i>x</i><sup>1</sup>, <i>x</i><sup>2</sup>, <i>x</i><sup>3</sup> are often called, with some affection, <i>x, y, z</i>, respectively.Bad notation alert! In teaching physics, I sometimes feel, with only slight exaggeration,that students are confused by bad notation almost as much as by the concepts. I am usingthe standard notation of <i>x</i> and <i>t</i> here, but the letter <i>x</i> does double duty, as the position of theparticle, which more strictly should be denoted by <i>x<sup>i</sup>(t)</i> or [??](<i>t</i>), and as the space coordinates<i>x<sup>i</sup></i>, which are variables ranging from -∞ to ∞ and which certainly are independent of <i>t</i>.</p><p>The different status between <i>x</i> and <i>t</i> in say (1) is particularly glaring if <i>N</i> >1 particlesare involved, in which case we write <i>m d</i><sup>2</sup> <i>x<sup>i</sup> a/dt</i><sup>2</sup> = <i>F<sup>i</sup><sub>a</sub></i>or [MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSION NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] with <i>x<sup>i</sup><sub>a</sub>(t)</i> for <i>a</i> =1, 2, ..., <i>N</i>. But certainly <i>t<sub>a</sub></i> is a meaningless concept in Newtonian physics. In theNewtonian universe, <i>t</i> is the time ticked off by a universal clock, while [??]<i><sub>a</sub>(t)</i> is eachparticle's private business. We will have plenty more to say about this point. Here <i>x<sup>i</sup><sub>a</sub>(t)</i>are 3<i>N</i> functions of <i>t</i>, but there are still only 3 <i>x<sup>i</sup></i>.</p><p>Some readers may feel that I am overly pedantic here, but in fact this fundamentalinequality of status between <i>x</i> and <i>t</i> will come to a head when we get to the special theoryof relativity. (I now drop the arrow on [??].) Perhaps Einstein as a student was bothered bythis bad notation. One way to remedy the situation is to use <i>q</i> (or <i>q<sub>a</sub></i>) to denote the positionof particles, as in more advanced treatments. But here I bow to tradition and continue touse <i>x</i>.</p><br><p><b>Have differential equation, will solve</b></p><p>After Newton's great insight, we "merely" have to solve some second...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Princeton Univers. Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 069114558X
• ISBN 13: 9780691145587
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 888
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland