Relativity Simply Explained

by Martin Gardner and Anthony Ravielli MARTIN GARDNER

Book Overview

Since the publication of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, the discovery of such astronomical phenomena as quasars, pulsars, and black holes -- all intimately connected to relativity -- has provoked a tremendous upsurge of interest in the subject.This volume, a revised version of Martin Gardner's earlier Relativity for the Million, brings this fascinating topic up to date. Witty, perceptive, and easily accessible to the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486293157
• ISBN13: 9780486293158
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Too much math education can cripple

Non-math books, such as this one, should be required reading for all physics majors in college. Too many highly educated individuals know all the math but don't understand the conceptual workings of physics. For instance, during my morning coffee break with two of my friends (one a professor who teaches college level physics, the other an electrical consulting engineer in the semi-conductor field) couldn't grasp the role that quantum entanglement played in the fact that an electrical current can't flow between the positive pole of one battery, and the negative pole of a "disconnected" second battery. Many men and women who are too highly educated to bother reading this book, desperately need to read it.

Interesting and very philosophical

This is the 1997 Dover edition of Martin Gardner's 1976 "The Relativity Explosion", which was itself an update of the original 1962 book, published under the title "Relativity for the Million". This present edition contains a short chapter that attempts to update the 1976 version to 1997. Given that 10 years have passed since 1997 and that many new measurements of the cosmos have been made, some of the cosmology is a bit dated. This is not, however, a severe handicap as most of the book deals with Einstein's work dating back more than 80 years. Gardner has avoided almost all mathematics, thereby producing a book that quite philosophical. It is therefore an adjunct to a physics text that contains much more of the mathematics of relativity. Given that this book aims to simply explain relativity theory, the most relevant question is how well does it do this? The answer of course depends upon the reader's background. I think that this book will be a hard slog for a person with no physics background, but if one is willing to abandon some things that they might feel are intuitively obvious then they should get quite a bit from the book. A person with some physics background should get more from the book; especially as the book clearly shows how the basic assumptions of Newtonian physics differ from those of Einstein. The discussion of Minkowski's four dimensional space-time approach is also very illuminating. (Since there is no math in the book, this and non-Euclidian geometry are only generally discussed. The implications of dealing with a four dimensional description of a universe that we can only perceive in three dimensions helped to clarify some misconceptions that I had concerning the various analogies used to explain general relativity.) The book will be an interesting adjunct for those with still more of a background, but they will probably find the lack of any math a great hindrance. They may also disagree with some of the assertions made in the book. The last part of the book deals with the application of relativity theory to cosmology. The chapter on the "Twin Paradox" was particularly interesting as it points out that there is still quite a bit of controversy surrounding the implications of the theory of relativity.

Really simple!

I still struggle as a physics teacher to understand relativity. This book was recommended by a college professor who understood my struggle. I can't say I completely grasp everything relativity related, but my understanding of this concept has increased greatly as a result of reading this book (and Einstein's biography by Isaacson). I feel better prepared to answer questions from my students regarding this subject. I also think this would be an appropriate book to recommend to a high school student.

A great book to start with.

If you are looking for a comprehensive book to understand the nuances of Relativity theory, this isn't for you. However, if you are not mathematically inclined, or don't wish to dive into the math or physics just yet, this is a excellent choice.This was the first book that I read on the subject of Einstein's theory. I found it entertaining and actually fun to read. I have not read any of Gardner's other books, but his writing style in this one makes for an easy read. It does not feel like you are reading much of a physics books at all.Furthermore, the illustrations not only are well done, but they make it easier to understand the principles being explained.If you are looking to know the basics of this theory, this is best book to own. Simple to read, good explanations, uncomplicated. If you are looking for more depth, than you will certainly move on to another book after this, but this is an excellent one to start with.

I think it was great

I think that Martin Gardener explained the theory of relativity very well sa that everyone could anderstand.