
Relativity has much to offer for a well-rounded education. Yet books on relativity either assume a strong background in physics and math, aimed at advanced physics students, or, alternatively, offer a broad description with little intellectual challenge. This book bridges the gap. It aims at readers with essentially no physics or math background, who still find it rewarding to think rigorously. The book takes a "thinking tools" approach, by first making readers comfortable with a new thinking tool and then applying it to learn more about how nature works. By the end of the book, readers will have collected a versatile toolbox and will be comfortable using the tools to think about and really understand the intriguing phenomena they may have only heard about, including the twin paradox, black holes, and time travel. End-of-chapter exercises span a range of difficulty, allowing adventurous readers to stretch their understanding further as desired. Students who have studied, or are studying, relativity at a more mathematical level will also find the book useful for a more conceptual understanding.
This book investigates how to make the complex principles of relativity accessible to readers without a formal background in advanced physics or mathematics. The author, David M. Wittman, utilizes a pedagogical framework centered on "thinking tools" to demystify abstract concepts. By introducing conceptual frameworks before applying them to physical phenomena, the text aims to provide a rigorous yet intuitive understanding of spacetime, gravity, and cosmic mechanics.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Readers and educators frequently note that this text successfully bridges the gap between popular science oversimplification and dense academic literature. Experts highlight the book as a useful resource for both laypeople seeking intellectual rigor and physics students looking to solidify their conceptual foundation.
Page Count:
336
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191633232
ISBN-13:
9780191633232
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