Serious and accessible--finally the special relativity course book
that both physics majors and lifelong learners deserve.
Special relativity challenges one's physical intuition of space, time,
matter, and energy in a way that few other topics in physics do. Yet the
subject is often treated as an extra in undergraduate courses--something
to be picked up in a few random lectures and presented as a combination
of geometric and logical puzzles (seemingly with the premise of getting
the novice student to concede that Einstein was a genius and that the
universe is weird). But special relativity is absolutely fundamental to
modern physics. It is the canvas on which electromagnetism, particle
physics, field theory, and ultimately general relativity are based. For
physics students, developing a relativistic intuition isn't just a
luxury: it's a requirement.
Physicist and popular author Dave Goldberg provides a rigorous but
conversational introduction to fill this void in spacetime education.
Employing the standard calculus a sophomore or junior university student
in science, engineering, or computer science will have encountered,
Goldberg connects relativity to a student's work ahead, acquainting them
with topics like tensors, the development of new physical theories, and
how relativity directly relates to other disciplines. But more than
this, Goldberg welcomes lifelong learners who may have encountered
special relativity in popular accounts, but are seeking a mathematical
challenge to understand an elegant physical theory.
