Gravitation And Spacetime

This text provides a quantitative introduction to general relativity for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

The Theory of Space, Time, and Gravitation, 2nd Revised Edition focuses on Relativity Theory and Einstein's Theory of Gravitation and correction of the misinterpretation of the Einsteinian Gravitation Theory. The book first offers information on the theory of relativity and the theory of relativity in tensor form. Discussions focus on comparison of distances and lengths in moving reference frames; comparison of time differences in moving reference frames; position of a body in space at a given instant in a fixed reference frame; and proof of the linearity of the transformation linking two inertial frames. The text then ponders on general tensor analysis, including permissible transformations for space and time coordinates, parallel transport of a vector, covariant differentiation, and basic properties of the curvature tensor. The publication examines the formulation of relativity theory in arbitrary coordinates and principles of the theory of gravitation. Topics include equations of mathematical physics in arbitrary coordinates; integral form of the conservation laws in arbitrary coordinates; variational principle and the energy tensor; and comparison with the statement of the problem in Newtonian theory. The manuscript is a dependable reference for readers interested in the theory of space, time, and gravitation.

This text provides an account of various experiments, that demonstrate a simplified reality where space and time are relegated to their proper source – the observer. The principles of these experiments and theories originate from the ideas of Einstein, and this text aims to present this 'new' outlook without the need for extensive knowledge of mathematics, physics, or philosophy. This text will be of considerable use to those with a keen interest in physics, and would make for a great addition to any bookshelf. The chapters of this book include: 'The Fitzgerald Contraction', 'Relativity', 'The World of Four Dimensions', 'Fields of Force', 'Kinds of Space', 'The New Law of Gravitation and the Old Law', 'Weighing Light', 'Other Tests of The Theory', 'Momentum and Energy', etcetera. We are publishing this antiquarian book now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a new biography of the author.

This is an introductory book on the general theory of relativity based partly on lectures given to students of M.Sc. Physics at my university. The book is divided into three parts. The ?rst part is a preliminary course on general relativity with minimum preparation. The second part builds the ma- ematical background and the third part deals with topics where mathematics developed in the second part is needed. The ?rst chapter gives a general background and introduction. This is f- lowed by an introduction to curvature through Gauss’ Theorema Egregium. This theorem expresses the curvature of a two-dimensional surface in terms of intrinsic quantitiesrelatedtothein?nitesimaldistancefunctiononthesurface.Thestudent isintroducedtothemetrictensor,Christo?elsymbolsandRiemanncurvaturet- sor by elementary methods in the familiar and visualizable case of two dimensions. This early introduction to geometric quantities equips a student to learn simpler topics in general relativity like the Newtonian limit, red shift, the Schwarzschild solution, precession of the perihelion and bending of light in a gravitational ?eld. Part II (chapters 5 to 10) is an introduction to Riemannian geometry as - quired by general relativity. This is done from the beginning, starting with vectors and tensors. I believe that students of physics grasp physical concepts better if they are not shaky about the mathematics involved.

Einstein's standard and battle-tested geometric theory of gravity--spacetime tells mass how to move and mass tells spacetime how to curve--is expounded in this book by Ignazio Ciufolini and John Wheeler. They give special attention to the theory's observational checks and to two of its consequences: the predicted existence of gravitomagnetism and the origin of inertia (local inertial frames) in Einstein's general relativity: inertia here arises from mass there. The authors explain the modern understanding of the link between gravitation and inertia in Einstein's theory, from the origin of inertia in some cosmological models of the universe, to the interpretation of the initial value formulation of Einstein's standard geometrodynamics; and from the devices and the methods used to determine the local inertial frames of reference, to the experiments used to detect and measure the "dragging of inertial frames of reference." In this book, Ciufolini and Wheeler emphasize present, past, and proposed tests of gravitational interaction, metric theories, and general relativity. They describe the numerous confirmations of the foundations of geometrodynamics and some proposed experiments, including space missions, to test some of its fundamental predictions--in particular gravitomagnetic field or "dragging of inertial frames" and gravitational waves.

Spacetime physics -- Physics in flat spacetime -- The mathematics of curved spacetime -- Einstein's geometric theory of gravity -- Relativistic stars -- The universe -- Gravitational collapse and black holes -- Gravitational waves -- Experimental tests of general relativity -- Frontiers

An accessible introductory textbook on general relativity, covering the theory's foundations, mathematical formalism and major applications.

This book focuses on the phenomena of inertia and gravitation, one objective being to shed some new light on the basic laws of gravitational interaction and the fundamental nature and structures of spacetime. Chapter 1 is devoted to an extensive, partly new analysis of the law of inertia. The underlying mathematical and geometrical structure of Newtonian spacetime is presented from a four-dimensional point of view, and some historical difficulties and controversies - in particular the concepts of free particles and straight lines - are critically analyzed, while connections to projective geometry are also explored. The relativistic extensions of the law of gravitation and its intriguing consequences are studied in Chapter 2. This is achieved, following the works of Weyl, Ehlers, Pirani and Schild, by adopting a point of view of the combined conformal and projective structure of spacetime. Specifically, Mach’s fundamental critique of Newton’s concepts of ‘absolute space’ and ‘absolute time’ was a decisive motivation for Einstein’s development of general relativity, and his equivalence principle provided a new perspective on inertia. In Chapter 3 the very special mathematical structure of Einstein’s field equations is analyzed, and some of their remarkable physical predictions are presented. By analyzing different types of dragging phenomena, Chapter 4 reviews to what extent the equivalence principle is realized in general relativity - a question intimately connected to the ‘new force’ of gravitomagnetism, which was theoretically predicted by Einstein and Thirring but which was only recently experimentally confirmed and is thus of current interest.

Writing for the general reader or student, Wald has completely revised and updated this highly regarded work to include recent developments in black hole physics and cosmology. Nature called the first edition "a very readable and accurate account of modern relativity physics for the layman within the unavoidable constraint of almost no mathematics. . . . A well written, entertaining and authoritative book."