Author: Andrew Steane

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2021-12-15

Total Pages: 960

ISBN-13: 9780192856791

The two-volume book Relativity Made Relatively Easy provides a comprehensive and detailed account of the physics of Relativity. Volume 1, which was published in 2012, is devoted to covering the basics of the theory of Special Relativity, assuming almost no prior knowledge, making it suitable for undergraduates studying the subject. Volume 2 encourages students to take their learning further by providing a working understanding of astronomy and gravitational waves, as well as introducing the reader to the key concepts in cosmology and classical field theory. Beginning with a survey of the main ideas, the text goes on to give the methodological foundations (linearized approximation, differential geometry, covariant differentiation, physics in curved spacetime). It covers the generic properties of horizons and black holes, including Hawking radiation, introduces the key concepts in cosmology and gives a grounding in classical field theory, including spinors and the Dirac equation, and a Lagrangian approach to General Relativity. The book is suitable for self-study and is aimed throughout at clarity, physical insight, and simplicity, presenting explanations and derivations in full, and providing many explicit examples.