General Relativity

One book at a time, the Theoretical Minimum series makes the power and grandeur of physics accessible. First came classical mechanics, then quantum mechanics and special relativity. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind, assisted by a new collaborator, Andre Cabannes, returns to tackle Einstein's masterpiece: the general theory of relativity. Starting from the equivalence principle and covering the necessary mathematics of Riemannian spaces and tensor calculus, Susskind and Cabannes explain the link between gravity and geometry. They delve into black holes, establish Einstein field equations, and solve them to describe gravity waves. The authors provide vivid explanations that, to borrow a phrase from Einstein himself, are as simple as possible (but no simpler). An approachable yet rigorous introduction to one of the most important topics in physics, General Relativity is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper knowledge of the universe's real structure. This book is the fourth volume of The Theoretical Minimum series. The first volume, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics, covered classical mechanics, which is the core of any physics education. We will refer to it from time to time simply as volume 1. The second book, volume 2, explains quantum mechanics and its relationship to classical mechanics. Volume 3 covers special relativity and classical field theory. This fourth volume expands on that to explore general relativity.