Time Travel in Einstein's Universe
Time Travel in Einstein's Universe

Author: J. Richard Gott

Publisher: HMH

Published: 2015-08-25

Total Pages: 307

ISBN-13: 0547526571

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A Princeton astrophysicist explores whether journeying to the past or future is scientifically possible in this “intriguing” volume (Neil deGrasse Tyson). It was H. G. Wells who coined the term “time machine”—but the concept of time travel, both forward and backward, has always provoked fascination and yearning. It has mostly been dismissed as an impossibility in the world of physics; yet theories posited by Einstein, and advanced by scientists including Stephen Hawking and Kip Thorne, suggest that the phenomenon could actually occur. Building on these ideas, J. Richard Gott, a professor who has written on the subject for Scientific American, Time, and other publications, describes how travel to the future is not only possible but has already happened—and contemplates whether travel to the past is also conceivable. This look at the surprising facts behind the science fiction of time travel “deserves the attention of anyone wanting wider intellectual horizons” (Booklist). “Impressively clear language. Practical tips for chrononauts on their options for travel and the contingencies to prepare for make everything sound bizarrely plausible. Gott clearly enjoys his subject and his excitement and humor are contagious; this book is a delight to read.” —Publishers Weekly

Where the Universe Came From
Where the Universe Came From

Author: New Scientist

Publisher: Nicholas Brealey

Published: 2017-03-21

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 1857889592

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How did it all begin? Where is it all going? WHY GENERAL RELATIVITY LEAVES UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH THE COSMOS A little over a century ago, a young Albert Einstein presented his general theory of relativity to the world and utterly transformed our understanding of the universe. He overturned centuries of thinking about gravity by revealing how it arises from the curvature of space and time. Yet general relativity has had far greater consequences. It has revealed that our universe has been expanding from a hot dense state called the big bang. It has changed our understanding of space and time. And it predicts that the universe is an extreme place, containing black holes and possibly wormholes. Using Einstein's insights, today's cosmologists have come to realize that most of the universe is missing in the form of mysterious dark matter and dark energy. In Where The Universe Came From leading cosmologists and New Scientist explain that while we have made great progress, we still have plenty of unfinished business with the cosmos. How does the dark universe shape our cosmic destiny? What is really happening near black holes? Are we any closer to discovering the ripples in space-time predicted by Einstein? Why is relativity not the final answer? ABOUT THE SERIES New Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.

Ripples in Spacetime
Ripples in Spacetime

Author: Govert Schilling

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2017-07-31

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0674971663

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A spacetime appetizer -- Relatively speaking -- Einstein on trial -- Wave talk and bar fights -- The lives of stars -- Clockwork precision -- Laser quest -- The path to perfection -- Creation stories -- Cold case -- Gotcha -- Black magic -- Nanoscience -- Follow-up questions -- Space invaders -- Surf's up for Einstein wave astronomy

Cracking the Einstein Code
Cracking the Einstein Code

Author: Fulvio Melia

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-10-15

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 0226519546

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Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity describes the effect of gravitation on the shape of space and the flow of time. But for more than four decades after its publication, the theory remained largely a curiosity for scientists; however accurate it seemed, Einstein’s mathematical code—represented by six interlocking equations—was one of the most difficult to crack in all of science. That is, until a twenty-nine-year-old Cambridge graduate solved the great riddle in 1963. Roy Kerr’s solution emerged coincidentally with the discovery of black holes that same year and provided fertile testing ground—at long last—for general relativity. Today, scientists routinely cite the Kerr solution, but even among specialists, few know the story of how Kerr cracked Einstein’s code. Fulvio Melia here offers an eyewitness account of the events leading up to Kerr’s great discovery. Cracking the Einstein Code vividly describes how luminaries such as Karl Schwarzschild, David Hilbert, and Emmy Noether set the stage for the Kerr solution; how Kerr came to make his breakthrough; and how scientists such as Roger Penrose, Kip Thorne, and Stephen Hawking used the accomplishment to refine and expand modern astronomy and physics. Today more than 300 million supermassive black holes are suspected of anchoring their host galaxies across the cosmos, and the Kerr solution is what astronomers and astrophysicists use to describe much of their behavior. By unmasking the history behind the search for a real world solution to Einstein’s field equations, Melia offers a first-hand account of an important but untold story. Sometimes dramatic, often exhilarating, but always attuned to the human element, Cracking the Einstein Code is ultimately a showcase of how important science gets done.

Gravity
Gravity

Author: James B. Hartle

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2021-06-24

Total Pages: 605

ISBN-13: 1316517543

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Best-selling, accessible physics-first introduction to GR uses minimal new mathematics and begins with the essential physical applications.

God after Einstein
God after Einstein

Author: John F. Haught

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2022-03-15

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 0300265263

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A leading theologian presents a hopeful account of the universe after Einstein, exploring it as a meaningful drama of awakening “This book is a deep and provocative piece of theology that proposes we engage with the universe as a kind of narrative of awakening and unfolding, as well as an important and useful approach for thinking about theology with respect to modern cosmology.”—Matthew Stanley, New York University Before the early twentieth century, scientists and theologians knew almost nothing about time’s enormity and the corresponding immensity of space. But now, after Einstein, cosmology offers theology a whole new way of looking at the ageless questions about matter, time, God, cosmic purpose, and the significance of our lives. The universe need not be thought of as simply an endless reshuffling of lifeless and mindless atoms in a pointless series of moments. Rather, the universe is a temporal drama of awakening whose meaning can be revealed only gradually by looking, in a spirit of anticipation and hope, toward the horizon of the cosmic future. In conversation with Einstein’s ideas and opinions, John F. Haught develops here a new cosmological understanding of the meaning of God, time, eternity, mystery, life, thought, freedom, and faith. In doing so, he offers readers a new way of understanding the relationship of science to theology.

Einstein's Lost Key
Einstein's Lost Key

Author: Alexander Unzicker

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2015-11-28

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781519473431

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This book includes a description of relativity comprehensible for lay people as well as a vividly exposed history of science and a serious though controversial input for modern research.

The Formative Years of Relativity
The Formative Years of Relativity

Author: Hanoch Gutfreund

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-09-26

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 0691174636

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First published in 1922 and based on lectures delivered in May 1921, Albert Einstein’s The Meaning of Relativity offered an overview and explanation of the then new and controversial theory of relativity. The work would go on to become a monumental classic, printed in numerous editions and translations worldwide. Now, The Formative Years of Relativity introduces Einstein’s masterpiece to new audiences. This beautiful volume contains Einstein’s insightful text, accompanied by important historical materials and commentary looking at the origins and development of general relativity. Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn provide fresh, original perspectives, placing Einstein’s achievements into a broader context for all readers. In this book, Gutfreund and Renn tell the rich story behind the early reception, spread, and consequences of Einstein’s ideas during the formative years of general relativity in the late 1910s and 1920s. They show that relativity’s meaning changed radically throughout the nascent years of its development, and they describe in detail the transformation of Einstein’s work from the esoteric pursuit of one individual communicating with a handful of colleagues into the preoccupation of a growing community of physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, and philosophers. This handsome edition quotes extensively from Einstein’s correspondence and reproduces historical documents such as newspaper articles and letters. Inserts are featured in the main text giving concise explanations of basic concepts, and short biographical notes and photographs of some of Einstein’s contemporaries are included. The first-ever English translations of two of Einstein’s popular Princeton lectures are featured at the book’s end.

The Curious History of Relativity
The Curious History of Relativity

Author: Jean Eisenstaedt

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2018-06-05

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 0691186758

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Black holes may obliterate most things that come near them, but they saved the theory of general relativity. Einstein's theory was quickly accepted as the true theory of gravity after its publication in 1915, but soon took a back seat in physics to quantum mechanics and languished for decades on the blackboards of mathematicians. Not until the existence of black holes by Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose in the 1960s, after Einstein's death, was the theory revived. Almost one hundred years after general relativity replaced Newton's theory of gravitation, The Curious History of Relativity tells the story of both events surrounding general relativity and the techniques employed by Einstein and the relativists to construct, develop, and understand his almost impenetrable theory. Jean Eisenstaedt, one of the world's leading experts on the subject, also discusses the theory's place in the evolution of twentieth-century physics. He describes the main stages in the development of general relativity: its beginnings, its strange crossing of the desert during Einstein's lifetime while under heated criticism, and its new life from the 1960s on, when it became vital to the understanding of black holes and the observation of exotic objects, and, eventually, to the discovery of the accelerating universe. We witness Einstein's construction of his theory, as well as the work of his fascinated, discouraged, and enthusiastic colleagues--physicists, mathematicians, and astronomers. Written with flair, The Curious History of Relativity poses--and answers--the difficult questions raised by Einstein's magnificent intellectual feat.

The Road to Relativity
The Road to Relativity

Author: Hanoch Gutfreund

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2017-05-09

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0691175810

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An annotated facsimile edition of Einstein's handwritten manuscript on the foundations of general relativity This richly annotated facsimile edition of "The Foundation of General Relativity" introduces a new generation of readers to Albert Einstein's theory of gravitation. Written in 1915, this remarkable document is a watershed in the history of physics and an enduring testament to the elegance and precision of Einstein's thought. Presented here is a beautiful facsimile of Einstein's original handwritten manuscript, along with its English translation and an insightful page-by-page commentary that places the work in historical and scientific context. Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn's concise introduction traces Einstein's intellectual odyssey from special to general relativity, and their essay "The Charm of a Manuscript" provides a delightful meditation on the varied afterlife of Einstein's text. Featuring a foreword by John Stachel, this handsome edition also includes a biographical glossary of the figures discussed in the book, a comprehensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and numerous photos and illustrations throughout.