H. A. Atwater Introduction to General Relativity

Annotation

Introduction to General Relativity is an introductory text on the concepts and modes of calculation used in general relativity. Topics covered range from Newton's laws of motion and the Galilean transformation to tensor analysis, equations of motion of free particles, electromagnetism, and gravitational fields and waves. Solutions of the field equations are also given. The emphasis is on the actual performance of relativistic calculations, rather than on mathematical rigor or exhaustive completeness. This volume is comprised of nine chapters and begins with an overview of the theory of relativity, which includes special relativity and general relativity. The discussion then turns to Newton's laws of motion and the Galilean transformation, electromagnetism and the Galilean transformation, and the Lorentz transformation. Subsequent chapters explore tensor analysis; equations of motion of free particles; gravitational fields and waves; relativity in cosmology; and unified theories and quantized theories of general relativity. The final chapter is devoted to Minkowski's coordinates and orthogonal transformations. This book will be a valuable resource for students of physics.