Introduction to Relativity is intended to teach physics and astronomy majors at the freshman, sophomore or upper-division levels how to think about special and general relativity in a fundamental, but accessible, way. Designed to render any reader a "master of relativity," everything on the subject is comprehensible and derivable from first principles. The book emphasizes problem solving, contains abundant problem sets, and is conveniently organized to meet the needs of both student and instructor.
" Simplicity: the book teaches space and time in relativity in a physical fashion with minimal mathematics
" Conciseness: the book teaches relativity by emphasizing the basic simplicity of the principles at work
" Visualization: space-time diagrams (Minkowski) illustrate phenomena from simultaneity to the resolution of the twin paradox in a concrete fashion
" Worked problems: two chapters of challenging problems solved in several ways illustrate and teach the principles
" Problem sets: each chapter is accompanied by a full set of problems for the student that teach the principles and some new phenonmena This book is a unique, concise, and accessible foundation for the study of special and general relativity. It is written for anyone drawn to the rich intellectual and philosophical implications of relativity, especially undergraduate physics, engineering, and astronomy majors who may go on to study modern astrophysics, cosmology, and unified field theories.
Special relativity is develop from two basic notions: that fore-free frames of reference are indistingushable and that nature posseses a universal speed limit - the speed of light. Basic results are intoduced with a minimum of algebra by constructing clocks and meter sticks so that time dilation, space contraction, and the relativity of simultaneity can be derived, explained, and illustrated. Minkowski diagrams are introduced to visualize these effects concretely. The Twin Paradox is resolved in detail. The roles of force, energy and momentum, and conservation laws in particle collisions are presented and illustrated through discussions and problems.