Books : Relativity: The Special and the General Theory, The Masterpiece Science Edition,
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 530
EAN: 9789569569067
ISBN: 9569569069
Label: bnpublishing.com
Manufacturer: bnpublishing.com
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 96
Publication Date: November 22, 2005
Publisher: bnpublishing.com
Sales Rank: 268378
Studio: bnpublishing.com
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From the Commentary by Robert Geroch (The corresponding section of Einstein’s text can be found below the comment. Please note that in the book, the Commentary is placed after the complete text of Relativity.)
Section 17. Space-Time
Minkowski’s viewpoint represents a "geometrization" of relativity. These ideas have, over the years, come to the forefront: They reflect the perspective of the majority of physicists working in relativity today. Let us expand on this viewpoint. The fundamental notion is that of an event, which we think of as a physical occurrence having negligibly small extension in both space and time. That is, an event is "small and quick," such as the explosion of a firecracker or the snapping of your fingers. Now consider the collection of all possible events in the universe—all events that have ever happened, all that are happening now, and all that will ever happen; here and elsewhere. This collection is called space-time. It is the arena in which physics takes place in relativity. The idea is to recast all statements about goings-on in the physical world into geometrical structures within this space-time. In a similar vein, you might begin the study of plane geometry by introducing the notion of a point (analogous to an event) and assembling all possible points into the plane (analogous to space-time). This plane is the arena for plane geometry, and each statement that is part of plane geometry is to be cast as geometrical structure within this plane. This space-time is a once-and-for-all picture of the entire physical world. Nothing "happens" there; things just "are." A physical particle, for example, is described in the language of space-time by giving the locus of all events that occur "right at the particle." The result is a certain curve, or path, in space-time called the world-line of the particle. Don’t think of the particle as "traversing" its world-line in the same sense that a train traverses its tracks. Rather, the world-line represents, once and for all, the entire life history of the particle, from its birth to its death. The collision of two particles, for example, would be represented geometrically by the intersection of their world-lines. The point of intersection—a point common to both curves; an event that is "right at" both particles—represents the event of their collision. In a similar way, more complicated physical goings-on—an experiment in particle physics, for example, or a football game—are incorporated into the fabric of space-time. One example of "physical goings-on" is the reference frame that Einstein uses in his discussion of special relativity. How is this incorporated into space-time? The individuals within a particular reference frame assign four numbers, labeled x, y, z, t, to each event in space-time. The first three give the spatial location of the event according to these observers, the last the time of the event. These numbers completely and uniquely characterize the event. In geometrical terms, a frame of reference gives rise to a coordinate system on space-time. In a similar vein, in plane geometry a coordinate system assigns two numbers, x and y, to each point of the plane. These numbers completely and uniquely characterize that point. The statement "the plane is two-dimensional" means nothing more and nothing less than that precisely two numbers are required to locate each point in the plane. Similarly, "space-time is four-dimensional" means nothing more and nothing less than that precisely four numbers are required to locate each event in space-time. That is all there is to it! You now understand "four-dimensional space-time" as well as any physicist. Note that the introduction of four-dimensional space-time does not say that space and time are "equivalent" or "indistinguishable." Clearly, space and time are subjectively different entities. But a rather subtle mixing of them occurs in special relativity, making it convenient to introduce this single entity, space-time. In plane geometry, we may change coordinates, i.e., relabel the points. It is the same plane described in a different way (in that a given point is now represented by different numbers), just as the land represented by a map stays the same whether you use latitude/longitude or GPS coordinates. We can now determine formulae expressing the new coordinate-values for each point of the plane in terms of the old coordinate-values. Similarly, we may change coordinates in space-time, i.e., change the reference frame therein. And, again, we can determine formulae relating the new coordinate-values for each space-time event to the old coordinate-values for that event. This, from Minkowski’s geometrical viewpoint, is the substance of the Lorentz-transformation formulae in Section 11. A significant advantage of Minkowski’s viewpoint is that it is particularly well-adapted also to the general theory of relativity. We shall return to this geometrical viewpoint in our discussion of Section 27.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This book is just a re-print of the regular version with the same title- there is nothing special about it, so don't be fooled. Quite the contrary- it is horribly laid-out/edited and looks like someone never proof-read it for layout/format. It is even difficult to discern where each chapter (section) ends and the next begins (yes, it really is that bad). I haven't noticed any additional or different content in this book (despite what the title and description of the book elude to), when compared with the regular version.
Einstein's original [translated] content in the book is in fact all there, and intact, and naturally quite good, but this edition of the book is just a poor quality reprint. If you are interested at all in this title/topic, simply buy the regular version, "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory". It is a proper version of Einstein's book.
Rating:  -
First let me say that if you are considering buying this book, buy it!
It is amazing that Einstein could have explained these concepts in the "dumbed down" way he did so shortly after publishing his work on relativity. However, this book isn't one to be read in a weekend. At least, not for me. I guess I imagined some simple explanation of relativity. There is no such thing. The analogies he makes are sometimes hard to understand and often I would wish there were more formulas and less words (I study math at the graduate level but have no real knowledge of differential forms: the language of general relativity)
If you have a good imagination, I have no doubt that you will breeze right through this book. I sometimes need something concrete and visual, I'm not always so good at visualizing things myself. The pictures he paints are amazing though. The way he breaks down the complexities of general relativity in such a way is incredible.
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So poorly edited (I is intended generally to be 1 in many equations) that the reader is distracted by typos. Not for the faint of heart.
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This paperback book is an attractive typesetting of einstein's original classic. However, we remind the buyer this paperback does not include the contributions of other authors in the hardback edition. Thus, the description and the search inside feature are somewhat misleading.
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It very difficult to critisize the man himself, but after all he was not a writer per se and was used to discussing relativity with other physicists. I can follow him. But thats only because I have read other books which make the subject much easier. Acually this was my first book on relativity which I bought years ago and threw it down in frustration. Then, recently I tried again with "Relativity Visualized" by L C Epstein. Now, finnaly I get it. It took a lot of intense concentration and re-reading, but I got it. And when it hit me my jaw dropped and all I could say was "WOW!" Of course, I lost it the next day and had to go thru it again. That's how difficult relativity is to comprehend and RETAIN. (Retaining it for more than a few minutes can seem as hard as learning it. Special Relativity is very evasive to the mind. And General Relativity is about ten times more difficult. But WHEN YOU GET IT, it's a feeling you never had before. It will change your life.)So I recommend the Epstein book. Lots of great "Thought Experiments" and a bit of neat "unique" (odd) humor, too. Einstein's book should be read, tho. After you've read other books about relativity and understand it at least "generaly" (pardon The Pun)If only to get a sense of the man. I read German quite well and still, I am sure I'd have problems reading the original, but someday I'll give it a shot.
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