Relativity: The Special and the General Theory, Second Edition

The Nobel Prize-winning scientist's presentation of his landmark theory
According to Einstein himself, this book is intended "to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics." When he wrote the book in 1916, Einstein's name was scarcely known outside the physics institutes. Having just completed his masterpiece, "The General Theory of Relativity" -- which provided a brand-new theory of gravity and promised a new perspective on the cosmos as a whole -- he set out at once to share his excitement with as wide a public as possible in this popular and accessible book.

What could be better than an introduction to the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein himself? One that combines Einstein's original text, written for the layperson nearly a century ago, with insights from today's leading experts.

Einstein shattered common-sense notions of space and time with the publication of his special theory of relativity in 1905. In the general theory of relativity, published in 1916, he extended the special theory to include gravity, supplanting Newton's law of universal gravitation, the zenith of the Scientific Revolution. In Relativity: The Special and General Theory, Einstein took his revolutionary theory directly to the people. In simple terms, he carefully laid out the basic concepts of relativity. But almost ninety years have passed since Einstein penned this classic; many advances have been made in our understanding of relativity and space and time.

Robert Geroch, one of the world's preeminent experts on relativity, builds on Einstein's work with commentary that addresses the ideas at the heart of the theory, bringing a modern understanding of relativity to the text. He elucidates how special relativity is a reconciliation of the contradictions between the nature of light and the principle of relativity (a long-standing tenet of physics known since Galileo's time); he expands on Einstein's treatment of the geometry of space-time and the fundamental notion of an "event"; he explains in detail, but without technical language, the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass, a cornerstone of general relativity.

Roger Penrose's eloquent introduction frames the creation of both the special and the general theories in the history of science. He argues that even without Einstein, the special theory would have been formulated, as its essential ideas had been put forward before 1905. But the general theory, he shows, is so unique and revolutionary that, without Einstein, we still may not have it today. He also discusses important developments in general relativity since Einstein's death, and the significance of the theory from the vantage point of contemporary science.

David C. Cassidy explores the impact of relativity outside of physics. In a century of unprecedented scientific advances, yet one of great turmoil, violence, and disillusionment, relativity became a tool of ideologies. Cassidy shows that while the theory reinforced the idea of scientific progress for some, the counterintuitive nature of the theory alienated many nonscientists, opening a rift between science and the public that continues to grow today.

Fully updated 100 years after Einstein published his first papers on relativity, this classic account by the man himself is now ready for twenty-first century readers.

 

"It is remarkable that Einstein should have produced such an account for the lay public so soon after his general theory was completed. This view has now superbly survived the tests of time.... In this new edition we are fortunate in having the advantage of an excellent exposition of Einstein's foundational ideas on relativity from a more modern perspective in Robert Geroch's commentary."

–From the Introduction by Roger Penrose, author of The Emperor's New Mind and The Road To Reality.

"One good way to get a feeling for what relativity theory is all about is to read, in these pages, what the originator of the subject had to say. I have provided comments, attached to various sections of Einstein's book. The key to understanding relativity is to think about it for yourself."

–From the Commentary by Robert Geroch, Professor of Physics, University of Chicago.

"Relativity was a highly technical new theory that gave new meanings to familiar concepts and even to the nature of theory itself. The general public looked upon relativity as indicative of the seemingly incomprehensible modern era, educated non-scientists despaired of ever understanding what Einstein had done, and political ideologues used the new theory to exploit public fears and anxieties–all of which opened a rift between science and the broader culture that continues to expand today."

–From the Historical Essay by David C. Cassidy, author of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the American Century, and Einstein and Our World.

"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual toward freedom."

–Albert Einstein

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