Relativity: The Special and General Theory

by Albert Einstein

Overview

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory began as a short paper and was eventually published as a book written by Albert Einstein with the aim of giving:

. . . 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.

-- from the Preface
It was first published in German in 1916 and later translated into English in 1920.[1][2][3] It is divided into 3 parts, the first dealing with special relativity, the second dealing with general relativity and the third dealing with considerations on the universe as a whole. There have been many versions published since the original in 1916, the latest in December, 2011. The work has been labeled[by whom?] unique in that it gives readers an insight into the thought processes of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 - 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He is best known to the general public for his mass-energy equivalence formula which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory.

Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902-1909). He subsequently realized that the principle of relativity could be extended to gravitational fields, and published a paper on general relativity in 1916 introducing his theory of gravitation. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light and the quantum theory of radiation, the basis of laser, which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe.

Einstein moved to Switzerland in 1895 and renounced his German citizenship in 1896. After being stateless for more than five years, he acquired Swiss citizenship in 1901, which he kept for the rest of his life. Except for one year in Prague, he lived in Switzerland between 1895 and 1914.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781989708972
Publisher:	Binker North
Publication date:	07/01/1916
Pages:	106
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.22(d)

About the Author

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 - 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[3][6]:274 His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation".[9] He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", [10] a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. The son of a salesman who later operated an electrochemical factory, Einstein was born in the German Empire but moved to Switzerland in 1895 and renounced his German citizenship in 1896.[5] Specializing in physics and mathematics, he received his academic teaching diploma from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School (German: eidgenössische polytechnische Schule, later ETH) in Zürich in 1900. The following year, he acquired Swiss citizenship, which he kept for his entire life. After initially struggling to find work, from 1902 to 1909 he was employed as a patent examiner at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905, called his annus mirabilis (miracle year), he published four groundbreaking papers, which attracted the attention of the academic world; the first outlined the theory of the photoelectric effect, the second paper explained Brownian motion, the third paper introduced special relativity, and the fourth mass-energy equivalence. That year, at the age of 26, he was awarded a PhD by the University of Zurich. Although initially treated with skepticism from many in the scientific community, Einstein's works gradually came to be recognised as significant advancements. He was invited to teach theoretical physics at the University of Bern in 1908 and the following year moved to the University of Zurich, then in 1911 to Charles University in Prague before returning to the Federal Polytechnic School in Zürich in 1912. In 1914, he was elected to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin, where he remained for 19 years. Soon after publishing his work on special relativity, Einstein began working to extend the theory to gravitational fields; he then published a paper on general relativity in 1916, introducing his theory of gravitation. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light and the quantum theory of radiation, the basis of laser, which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe

Table of Contents

Introduction     viii
Preface     xiii
The Special Theory of Relativity
Physical Meaning of Geometrical Propositions     15
The System of Co-ordinates     17
Space and Time in Classical Mechanics     20
The Galilean System of Co-ordinates     22
The Principle of Relativity in the Restricted Sense     23
The Theorem of the Addition of Velocities Employed in Classical Mechanics     25
The Apparent Incompatibility of the Law of Propagation of Light with the Principle of Relativity     26
On the Idea of Time in Physics     28
The Relativity of Simultaneity     31
On the Relativity of the Conception of Distance     33
The Lorentz Transformation     34
The Behaviour of Measuring-Rods and Clocks in Motion     38
Theorem of the Addition of Velocities. The Experiment of Fizeau     40
The Heuristic Value of the Theory of Relativity     43
General Results of the Theory     44
Experience and the Special Theory of Relativity     48
Minkowski's Four-Dimensional Space     52
The General Theory of Relativity
Special and General Principle of Relativity     55
The Gravitational Field     58
The Equality of Inertial andGravitational Mass as an Argument for the General Postulate of Relativity     60
In What Respects Are the Foundations of Classical Mechanics and of the Special Theory of Relativity Unsatisfactory?     63
A Few Inferences from the General Principle of Relativity     65
Behaviour of Clocks and Measuring-Rods on a Rotating Body of Reference     68
Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Continuum     71
Gaussian Co-ordinates     74
The Space-Time Continuum of the Special Theory of Relativity Considered as a Euclidean Continuum     77
The Space-Time Continuum of the General Theory of Relativity Is Not a Euclidean Continuum     79
Exact Formulation of the General Principle of Relativity     81
The Solution of the Problem of Gravitation on the Basis of the General Principle of Relativity     83
Considerations on the Universe as a Whole
Cosmological Difficulties of Newton's Theory     87
The Possibility of a "Finite" and yet "Unbounded" Universe     89
The Structure of Space According to the General Theory of Relativity     92
Appendixes
Simple Derivation of the Lorentz Transformation (Supplementary to Section 11)     95
Minkowski's Four-Dimensional Space ("World") (Supplementary to Section 17)     99
The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity     101

Editorial Reviews

He was unfathomably profound - the genius among geniuses who discovered, merely by thinking about it, that the universe was not as it seemed.

Time

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with THEORIES OF THE UNIVERSE, RELIGION AND SCIENCE, and MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH.]--The Listen to a Genius series is a collection of CD reissues of recordings made by Audio Scholar in the 1990s. The idea--to present a cross section of writings by the world's greatest thinkers--is admirable. But while the production quality and narration are generally excellent, the series has some problems. First, the complete absence of liner notes is a disappointment. More importantly, the abridgments of these great works are often so drastic that they fail to provide a coherent introduction to the author's work. In his preface to RELATIVITY, for example, Einstein writes that his book requires "a fair amount of patience and force of will on the part of the reader." Indeed, a work of this complexity would have a reader continually rereading, something that is impractical in the audio medium. As a result, this recording will likely appeal only to those with a solid background in physics or mathematics, despite Einstein's remarkably lucid prose and the unflinching Julian Lopez-Morillas, who delivers it with clarity. Similar flaws bog down THEORIES OF THE UNIVERSE, also read by Lopez-Morillas. Though Stephen Hawking gets top billing, he is the author of only one of the four selections in this recording. His contribution, like his famous book A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (millions sold, perhaps hundreds read and understood), has fascinating and memorable passages but is altogether impenetrable to the non-physicist. The high point of the recording, rather, is Paul Thagard's "Conceptual Revolutions," an erudite but accessible look at the major leaps in scientific thought. Bertrand Russell's RELIGION AND SCIENCE is much easier to digest. Published in 1935, it looks at the conflicts between these two integral parts of human culture. The writing is clear, and the abridgment, while it retains only a fraction of the original work, is tidy if not seamless. David Case sounds pedantic at first, but once listeners warm to him, they’ll be happy to have exchanged Einstein’s quantum physics for this introduction to Russell's metaphysics. Mohandas Gandhi's MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH (1925) is an altogether different kind of philosophy. Frederick Davidson has chosen to read this autobiography of India's great spiritual leader with an affected accent, an odd choice in a work of nonfiction. But it works: It helps to ground a rambling piece of writing, helping this title to come closest to fulfilling the aim of the Listen to a Genius series. D.B. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

JUN/JUL 02 - AudioFile