Nonspecialists with no prior knowledge of physics and only reasonable proficiency with algebra can now understand Einstein's special theory of relativity. Effectively diagrammed and with an emphasis on logical structure, Leo Sartori's rigorous but simple presentation will guide interested readers through concepts of relative time and relative space.Sartori covers general relativity and cosmology, but focuses on Einstein's theory. He tracks its history and implications. He explores illuminating paradoxes, including the famous twin paradox, the "pole-in-the-barn" paradox, and the Loedel diagram, which is an accessible, graphic approach to relativity. Students of the history and philosophy of science will welcome this concise introduction to the central concept of modern physics.
Author(s): Leo Sartori
Publisher: University of California Press
Year: 1996
Language: English
Pages: 384
Tags: Физика;Теория относительности и альтернативные теории гравитации;
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
1 Galilean Relativity......Page 16
2 The Michelson-Morley Experiment......Page 41
3 The Postulates of Relativity and Their Implications......Page 63
4 The Lorentz Transformation......Page 112
5 Space-Time Diagrams......Page 154
6 Paradoxes of Relativity......Page 181
7 Relativistic Mechanics......Page 217
8 General Relativity......Page 258
9 Cosmology......Page 308
Index......Page 372
