RELATIVITY GRAVITATION & COSMOLOGY:BASIC INTRODUCTION 2E OMSP PAPER: A Basic Introduction (Oxford Master Series in Physics) - Softcover

CHENG, Ta-Pei

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9780199573646: RELATIVITY GRAVITATION & COSMOLOGY:BASIC INTRODUCTION 2E OMSP PAPER: A Basic Introduction (Oxford Master Series in Physics)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0199573646 ISBN 13: 9780199573646
Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Einstein's general theory of relativity is introduced in this advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate level textbook. Topics include special relativity, in the formalism of Minkowski's four-dimensional space-time, the principle of equivalence, Riemannian geometry and tensor analysis, Einstein field equation, as well as many modern cosmological subjects, from primordial inflation and cosmic microwave anisotropy to the dark energy that propels an accelerating universe. The author presents the subject with an emphasis on physical examples and simple applications without the full tensor apparatus. The reader first learns how to describe curved spacetime. At this mathematically more accessible level, the reader can already study the many interesting phenomena such as gravitational lensing, precession of Mercury's perihelion, black holes, and cosmology. The full tensor formulation is presented later, when the Einstein equation is solved for a few symmetric cases. Many modern topics in cosmology are discussed in this book: from inflation, cosmic microwave anisotropy to the "dark energy" that propels an accelerating universe. Mathematical accessibility, together with the various pedagogical devices (e.g., worked-out solutions of chapter-end problems), make it practical for interested readers to use the book to study general relativity and cosmology on their own.

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About the Author

Ta-Pei Cheng is currently Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He took his Ph.D. at Rockefeller University in 1969, followed by post-doctoral study at Rockefeller University and at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). He has been on the faculty of University of Missouri - St. Louis from 1973 to the present day, and was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1982.

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Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publication date
2009
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0199573646
ISBN 13 
9780199573646
Binding
Paperback
Edition number
2
Number of pages
450
Rating
  • 4.27 out of 5 stars
    33 ratings by Goodreads