Relativity: A Very Short Introduction

129 Pages·2008·1.32 MB·English

by  Russell Stannard

Relativity:AVeryShortIntroduction
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RussellStannard
Relativity
A Very Short Introduction
1
1
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ISBN978–0–19–923622–0
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Contents
Preface ix
Listofillustrations xi
1 Specialrelativity 1
Theprincipleofrelativityandthespeedoflight 1
Timedilation 5
Thetwinparadox 10
Lengthcontraction 13
Lossofsimultaneity 16
Space–timediagrams 19
Four-dimensionalspacetime 24
Theultimatespeed 32
E=mc2 35
2 Generalrelativity 43
Theequivalenceprinciple 43
Theeffectsontimeofaccelerationandgravity 49
Thetwinparadoxrevisited 55
Thebendingoflight 60
Curvedspace 65
Blackholes 79
Gravitationalwaves 95
Theuniverse 99
Furtherreading 110
Index 112
Preface
Allofusgrowupwithcertainbasicideasconcerningspace,time,
andmatter.Theseinclude:
* weallinhabitthesamethree-dimensionalspace;
* timepassesequallyquicklyforeveryone;
* twoeventsoccureithersimultaneously,oronebeforetheother;
* givenenoughpower,thereisnolimittohowfastonecantravel;
* mattercanbeneithercreatednordestroyed;
* theanglesofatriangleaddupto180◦;
* thecircumferenceofacircleis2×theradius;
* inavacuum,lightalwaystravelsinstraightlines.
Suchnotionsappeartobelittlemorethancommonsense.Butbe
warned:
Commonsenseconsistsofthoselayersofprejudicelaiddowninthe
mindbeforetheageofeighteen.
AlbertEinstein
Infact,Einstein’stheoryofrelativitychallengesalltheabove
statements.Therearecircumstancesinwhicheachofthemcanbe
showntobefalse.Startlingassuchfindingsare,itisnotdifficult
toretraceEinstein’sthinking.Inthisbookweshallseehow,