Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified

by Richard Wolfson

Book Overview

With this reader-friendly book, it doesn't take an Einstein to understand the theory of relativity and its remarkable consequences. In clear, understandable terms, physicist Richard Wolfson explores the ideas at the heart of relativity and shows how they lead to such seeming absurdities as time travel, curved space, black holes, and new meaning for the idea of past and future. Drawing from years of teaching modern physics to nonscientists, Wolfson...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393051544
• ISBN13: 9780393051544
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Wow!

I started off with his lecture series 'Physics in Your Life' (TTC) and was awestruck by it's content, which was both informational as well as accessible. I decided to read this book on relativity, and boy does it blow my mind. I've tried to learn about relativity from various places, and although it is a relatively simple (sry for the pun) concept to fathom (once you get the hang of it) I always had a few lingering questions that needed to be answered, and Prof Wolfson- as usual did a wonderful job of it.

Simply the best.

Within just 244 pages, Richard Wolfson takes us on an incredible journey from the ancient pillars of physics -Aristotelian oxcart forces and earth-centered science- to that of modern physics - general relativity and quantum mechanics. This book will change the way you perceive the universe as well as your everyday surroundings. Time dialation, black holes, string theory....all buzz words? Not after this book. Truly a seemingly impossible undertaking......but Wolfson shows his incredible ability to relate difficult to near-impossible concepts to the common non-scientific audience. But a warning.....do not start this book unless you have the time to finish it. Each page opens a new interesting perspective on not only the history of where we are today, but also what the future holds. Written for the non-scientist, this book parallels Wolfson's now-legendary, highly recommended, audio course "Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution", The Teaching Company. If you have ever wondered about relativity but were afraid to ask while you suffered through countless high school and college science courses, this book is a true revolution. What is remarkable about this book is not only the genius of Einstein and his remarkable discoveries, but the historical path of what led Einstein and the scientific community to realize that their classical physics was "simply" wrong. Wolson introduces us to the other giants of physics and their work, their risks, and their place in history. He relates the courage of Copernicus and Galileo having to battle both church and misunderstanding. He also brings together the works of Newton to Hawking. Wolson also paints a devasting blow to the scientific community with the failures of the Michelson-Morley experiments and how the true-genius of Einstein rose to change our understanding of the universe. It is truly unfortunate that we reviewers can only bestow 5 stars to this book. This work is in a class by itself and worthy of our deep appreciation to Richard Wolfson for his gift to our basic understanding of the world we live in.

You don't have to be an Einstein to understand Einstein

As this book makes clear, everything is not relative - but I would say that Richard Wolfson's attempt to describe Einstein's theories and their implications is relatively successful. He takes you toward Einsteinian thought one step at a time. First, he gives you a grounding in Newtonian physics, then walks you through Einstein's special theory of relativity, using a number of examples designed to simplify your conceptualization of ideas that tend to go against common sense thinking, and then he attempts to summarize Einstein's general theory of relativity - which, by its nature, is more difficult to expound upon using models and logical examples. Finally, he touches upon some of the implications of the general theory of relativity, giving the reader a quick trek through the notions of black holes, the future of the universe, and other largely astrophysical theories and concepts. Simply Einstein is written for a layman audience, but it is by no means an easy read. I really believe you have to have at least some affinity with mathematics and logic in order to really grasp what Wolfson is saying. Of course, those with no such affinity will - I feel safe to say - never even think about reading a book such as this. Wolfson works very hard to provide numerous examples of the theories and concepts of Einsteinian thought, but you can't just breeze through these things and expect to have everything click into place automatically; oftentimes, you have to stop, review, and ponder what you have just read in order to truly get a handle on things. Wolfson's examples are, it seems to me, two-edged swords of a kind. If you know absolutely nothing about relativity, they are quite good and certainly helpful. If, however, you already have some familiarity with the space-time paradoxes of Einsteinian thought (the twin paradox, for example, or the space and time "distortions" of near-light speed travel), a few of Wolfson's examples muck up the water, at least temporarily - you basically have to forget what relativity theory you already know and start again from scratch in order to fully grasp what the author is attempting to show with each example. Wolfson does do a great job demonstrating the significant differences between Newtonian physics and Einsteinian physics (as well as clearing up popular misconceptions about both subjects), and his information on gravity is enlightening and informative. By the time he gets around to stating that gravity is not a force per se, he has built the foundation upon which he can prove why this is the case. Going further, this allows him to offer an excellent explanation of the curvature of space-time owing to the presence of matter or energy throughout the universe. If you just want to read about black holes and other fascinating aspects of the universe, this isn't the book for you. That kind of discussion is rather protracted here and comes only after a lot of theory has been introduced and described in some deta

Perfect for the Interested Layman

Simply Einstein is the best layman's (people such as me) guide to relativity that I have come across in my attempts to gain some understanding of the subject. I have been a science fiction fan since the early Star Trek days and assumed inter-stellar travel's certainty sometime in the near future. I was quite disappointed when a college friend became the bearer of bad news and told me that faster than light travel is impossible. Nearly as disappointing, as I learned more through the years, is the enormous difficulty of getting anywhere near the speed of light. Since then I have been instantly attracted to any article that discusses ways of getting around relativity. Needless to say Einstein's theories have held a fascination for me despite my educational background lacking even a high school physics course and no math past second year algebra. I have enjoyed numerous PBS specials, which touched on the subject as well as books such as The Idiots Guide to Understanding Einstein and E=MC2. Both are excellent and deserve high reviews. My attempts to understand relativity has been an occasional intellectual exercise for me in the same way that others enjoy puzzles, but the success of my efforts has been limited and elusive as touching a cloud. I purchased Simply Einstein at an Einstein exhibit that has been touring the country. Don't miss it if it comes to your area! Many of the exhibits seemed to be inspired by this book. The author in over approximately 300 pages builds the case for relativity with the aid of a series of analogies and diagrams. He also periodically sums up the main points needed to understand in a clear and concise manner and repeats himself many times to make it sink in and remind the reader. This eliminates the problem of many similar books in which the critical points are stated once or are in a forest difficult to see because of the trees. Understanding the material in Simply Einstein is not a breeze, but if the reader is willing to put in the time and carefully study the examples, a higher level of understanding will be the reward. I am a long way from true understanding, but the level of mystery has been significantly reduced. The success of this book to me is demonstrated by my having reread it twice since buying it a couple of months ago. Perhaps the most satisfying part is at the end when the author remarks that due to the limitations of the human mind, relativity is something he cannot fully understand and doubts Einstein did either.

Worth reading twice

This is the best book I've read on Relativity. I think I understood all of it. The author emphasizes that the terminology you use can confuse people --- clocks don't really run slow, for example, it's just that your frame of reference is different so it seems that way.The author does a good job explaining that gravity is a curve in spacetime. The book is full of helpful diagrams. I'm glad I found this one. Understanding Relativity is not easy, and even the smartest scientists have trouble explaining it. Wolfson got it right.