Relativity: The Special and General Theory

This is a review for the Three Rivers Press 1995 paperback printing:This is the original 1920 version of Einstein's semi-popularized write-up of the special and general theories of relativity, with additional commentary and considerations in the appendices. There is no single work that has sustained my interest and fascinated me for so long as this work, the primary reason for my career path in physics. The mathematics are generally simple enough that, in principle, someone with a knowledge of algebra will be able to understand the vast majority of the mathematics. In the event that things get complicated with the math, the text is quite lucid and well written. I say all of this having first read the book when I was in middle school. It's not an easy text for any newcomer, but, I am confident, it can be understood by most competent individuals willing to make a couple of passes through, and it is likely to be especially accessible for those who know something of Einstein's work. Overall, I think this is a text that everyone should give a try, at some point, being one of the greatest human intellectual achievements in history, the ideas matching and, in the opinions of some, surpassing the creative human achievements in other forums; and I personally think a science-literate society that properly values science should be acquainted, even if only in passing, with Einstein's most heralded ideas.As far as this edition, it's not bad. It's the one I purchased when I was in middle school. There are a few things to know. One the positive side, it has a couple of essays not contained in the other editions I have of the selfsame book. The two essays this one contains that others do not (they are included in this edition's appendices) are: "The Structure of Space According to the General Theory of Relativity" and "Relativity and the Problem of Space." On the downside, there isn't even so much as a biographical sketch. The typeset isn't the best, either. This edition is particularly longer in page number (and in paper thickness) than any other edition I have. If you are looking for one with a good introduction, I highly recommend the Barnes and Noble edition, which features an introduction by Amit Hagar. The edition I would avoid, because it has no introduction and is missing the aforementioned essays, is the "Great Minds Series" edition. (Note: All of these editions mentioned are the same and authorized translator, Robert W. Lawson.)

This book provides and introduction to both Special and General Relativity without excessive use of math. While the reader does need a good collage level math background to get the most out of this book, the book does not focus on the math. The book has three parts:1) In the first section using logical arguments Einstein takes the reader from Newtonian mechanics to Special Relativity.2) In the second section Einstein takes the reader to the next step: General Relativity. I don't think this section went into enough dept.3)The last section explores the greater impact of Relativity on our understanding of the universe.4) There are a set of appendices that provide interesting details.In my opinion this book is great start for someone who wants to get a basic understanding of Relativity. However the material is not at all complete or rigorous. Therefore anyone with serious interest in this topic should first read this, then proceed to more in-depth material. Many advanced texts are available however the reader must first obtain the proper math background.On the whole this is a great book. I would have rated it 4 had it been written by a lesser man, nevertheless out of respect for this great man it deserves 5 stars.Highly recommended.

My daughter had to get this for school. Otherwise, we would not have purchased this. Nice little book and best price is on Amazon. Great shipping. Easy to read and understand for my 17 year old, but it was assigned reading for one of her classes. This helps explain a more complex theory so laymen can grasp the concept.So here is the reality, for those who need to read the book because it is assigned (and mind you, if you are NOT going to be touching on this subject again unless you have to take another class to get some prerequisites done) and you are not going into this field of study, then this is for you. After this class, she most likely will NOT be picking up this book to read for leisure. It is just not her thing. ;-)Like I said, it was assigned reading for her senior high school class. Making it an "assigned reading" for a public school class should also tell you this has a decent grasp on the subject matter anyways to say the least.

Great read especially for any science student or enthusiast. Love it

A special description of the basis and the meaning of the Theory. It really is elegant in its simplicity. Einstein's explanation of the basis and origin of Special Relativity is especially intuitive and easy to follow, even with just a background of high school geometry. It is also quiet surprising to find that the derivation of E = m c^2 comes from the necessity of the speed of light being constant for all reference frames in relative motion. The General Theory, however, really can't be understood apart from non-Euclidean geometry, so the explanation of it it's much harder to follow. It is still worth the read, though, to see Einstein's explanation of how the effect of gravity is indistinguishable from the effect of steady acceleration, and how this leads to the conclusion that space curves in the presence of mass. It will also surprise many, as it did me, of how much emphasis Einstein puts on the equivalence of time and space in the structure of the universe, compared to how little time he spends on the equivalent of energy and matter. All in all a great read.