The Geometry Of Special Relativity A Concise Course
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| Author | : Norbert Dragon |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 148 |
| Release | : 2012-08-01 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 3642283292 |
In this concise primer it is shown that, with simple diagrams, the phenomena of time dilatation, length contraction and Lorentz transformations can be deduced from the fact that in a vacuum one cannot distinguish physically straight and uniform motion from rest, and that the speed of light does not depend on the speed of either the source or the observer. The text proceeds to derive the important results of relativistic physics and to resolve its apparent paradoxes. A short introduction into the covariant formulation of electrodynamics is also given. This publication addresses, in particular, students of physics and mathematics in their final undergraduate year.
| Author | : Tevian Dray |
| Publisher | : CRC Press |
| Total Pages | : 197 |
| Release | : 2021-06-10 |
| Genre | : Mathematics |
| ISBN | : 1315160706 |
This unique book presents a particularly beautiful way of looking at special relativity. The author encourages students to see beyond the formulas to the deeper structure. The unification of space and time introduced by Einstein’s special theory of relativity is one of the cornerstones of the modern scientific description of the universe. Yet the unification is counterintuitive because we perceive time very differently from space. Even in relativity, time is not just another dimension, it is one with different properties The book treats the geometry of hyperbolas as the key to understanding special relativity. The author simplifies the formulas and emphasizes their geometric content. Many important relations, including the famous relativistic addition formula for velocities, then follow directly from the appropriate (hyperbolic) trigonometric addition formulas. Prior mastery of (ordinary) trigonometry is sufficient for most of the material presented, although occasional use is made of elementary differential calculus, and the chapter on electromagnetism assumes some more advanced knowledge. Changes to the Second Edition The treatment of Minkowski space and spacetime diagrams has been expanded. Several new topics have been added, including a geometric derivation of Lorentz transformations, a discussion of three-dimensional spacetime diagrams, and a brief geometric description of "area" and how it can be used to measure time and distance. Minor notational changes were made to avoid conflict with existing usage in the literature. Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction. 2. The Physics of Special Relativity. 3. Circle Geometry. 4. Hyperbola Geometry. 5. The Geometry of Special Relativity. 6. Applications. 7. Problems III. 8. Paradoxes. 9. Relativistic Mechanics. 10. Problems II. 11. Relativistic Electromagnetism. 12. Problems III. 13. Beyond Special Relativity. 14. Three-Dimensional Spacetime Diagrams. 15. Minkowski Area via Light Boxes. 16. Hyperbolic Geometry. 17. Calculus. Bibliography. Author Biography Tevian Dray is a Professor of Mathematics at Oregon State University. His research lies at the interface between mathematics and physics, involving differential geometry and general relativity, as well as nonassociative algebra and particle physics; he also studies student understanding of "middle-division" mathematics and physics content. Educated at MIT and Berkeley, he held postdoctoral positions in both mathematics and physics in several countries prior to coming to OSU in 1988. Professor Dray is a Fellow of the American Physical Society for his work in relativity, and an award-winning teacher.
| Author | : Jose Natario |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 133 |
| Release | : 2011-07-30 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 3642214525 |
“General Relativity Without Calculus” offers a compact but mathematically correct introduction to the general theory of relativity, assuming only a basic knowledge of high school mathematics and physics. Targeted at first year undergraduates (and advanced high school students) who wish to learn Einstein’s theory beyond popular science accounts, it covers the basics of special relativity, Minkowski space-time, non-Euclidean geometry, Newtonian gravity, the Schwarzschild solution, black holes and cosmology. The quick-paced style is balanced by over 75 exercises (including full solutions), allowing readers to test and consolidate their understanding.
| Author | : Norbert Dragon |
| Publisher | : Springer |
| Total Pages | : 0 |
| Release | : 2024-11-05 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 9783031711480 |
This second edition of "The Geometry of Special Relativity - a Concise Course" offers more than just corrections and enhancements. It includes a new chapter on four-velocities and boosts as points and straight lines of hyperbolic geometry. Quantum properties of relativistic particles are derived from the unitary representations of the Poincaré group. Notably, the massless representation is related to the concept of a Hopf bundle. Scattering theory is developed analogously to the non-relativistic case, relying on proper symmetry postulates. Chapters on quantum fields, reflections of charge, space, and time, and the necessary gauge symmetry of quantized vector fields complete the foundation for evaluating Feynman graphs. An extended appendix covers more than a dozen additional topics. The first half of this edition refines the first edition, using simple diagrams to explain time dilation, length contraction, and Lorentz transformations based on the invariance of the speed of light. The text derives key results of relativistic physics and resolves apparent paradoxes. Following a presentation of the action principle, Noether's theorem, and relativistic mechanics, the book covers the covariant formulation of electrodynamics and classical field theory. The groups of rotations and Lorentz transformations are also examined as a transition to relativistic quantum physics. This text is aimed at graduate students of physics and mathematics seeking an advanced introduction to special relativity and related topics. Its presentation of quantum physics aims to inspire fellow researchers.
| Author | : Tevian Dray |
| Publisher | : CRC Press |
| Total Pages | : 167 |
| Release | : 2021-06-15 |
| Genre | : Mathematics |
| ISBN | : 1351663208 |
This unique book presents a particularly beautiful way of looking at special relativity. The author encourages students to see beyond the formulas to the deeper structure. The unification of space and time introduced by Einstein’s special theory of relativity is one of the cornerstones of the modern scientific description of the universe. Yet the unification is counterintuitive because we perceive time very differently from space. Even in relativity, time is not just another dimension, it is one with different properties The book treats the geometry of hyperbolas as the key to understanding special relativity. The author simplifies the formulas and emphasizes their geometric content. Many important relations, including the famous relativistic addition formula for velocities, then follow directly from the appropriate (hyperbolic) trigonometric addition formulas. Prior mastery of (ordinary) trigonometry is sufficient for most of the material presented, although occasional use is made of elementary differential calculus, and the chapter on electromagnetism assumes some more advanced knowledge. Changes to the Second Edition The treatment of Minkowski space and spacetime diagrams has been expanded. Several new topics have been added, including a geometric derivation of Lorentz transformations, a discussion of three-dimensional spacetime diagrams, and a brief geometric description of "area" and how it can be used to measure time and distance. Minor notational changes were made to avoid conflict with existing usage in the literature. Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction. 2. The Physics of Special Relativity. 3. Circle Geometry. 4. Hyperbola Geometry. 5. The Geometry of Special Relativity. 6. Applications. 7. Problems III. 8. Paradoxes. 9. Relativistic Mechanics. 10. Problems II. 11. Relativistic Electromagnetism. 12. Problems III. 13. Beyond Special Relativity. 14. Three-Dimensional Spacetime Diagrams. 15. Minkowski Area via Light Boxes. 16. Hyperbolic Geometry. 17. Calculus. Bibliography. Author Biography Tevian Dray is a Professor of Mathematics at Oregon State University. His research lies at the interface between mathematics and physics, involving differential geometry and general relativity, as well as nonassociative algebra and particle physics; he also studies student understanding of "middle-division" mathematics and physics content. Educated at MIT and Berkeley, he held postdoctoral positions in both mathematics and physics in several countries prior to coming to OSU in 1988. Professor Dray is a Fellow of the American Physical Society for his work in relativity, and an award-winning teacher.
| Author | : James H. Smith |
| Publisher | : Courier Dover Publications |
| Total Pages | : 244 |
| Release | : 2016-03-22 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 0486808963 |
By the year 1900, most of physics seemed to be encompassed in the two great theories of Newtonian mechanics and Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. Unfortunately, there were inconsistencies between the two theories that seemed irreconcilable. Although many physicists struggled with the problem, it took the genius of Einstein to see that the inconsistencies were concerned not merely with mechanics and electromagnetism, but with our most elementary ideas of space and time. In the special theory of relativity, Einstein resolved these difficulties and profoundly altered our conception of the physical universe. Readers looking for a concise, well-written explanation of one of the most important theories in modern physics need search no further than this lucid undergraduate-level text. Replete with examples that make it especially suitable for self-study, the book assumes only a knowledge of algebra. Topics include classical relativity and the relativity postulate, time dilation, the twin paradox, momentum and energy, particles of zero mass, electric and magnetic fields and forces, and more.
| Author | : Farook Rahaman |
| Publisher | : Springer Nature |
| Total Pages | : 339 |
| Release | : 2022-04-10 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 9811904979 |
This textbook expounds the major topics in the special theory of relativity. It provides a detailed examination of the mathematical foundation of the special theory of relativity, relativistic mass, relativistic mechanics, and relativistic electrodynamics. As well as covariant formulation of relativistic mechanics and electrodynamics, the text discusses the relativistic effect on photons. A new chapter on electromagnetic waves as well as several new problems and examples have been included in the second edition of the book. Using the mathematical approach, the text offers graduate students a clear, concise view of the special theory of relativity. Organized into 15 chapters and two appendices, the content is presented in a logical order, and every topic has been dealt with in a simple and lucid manner. To aid understanding of the subject, the text provides numerous relevant worked-out examples in every chapter. The mathematical approach of the text helps students in their independent study and motivates them to research the topic further.
| Author | : Francesco Catoni |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 119 |
| Release | : 2011-05-07 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 3642179770 |
This book provides an original introduction to the geometry of Minkowski space-time. A hundred years after the space-time formulation of special relativity by Hermann Minkowski, it is shown that the kinematical consequences of special relativity are merely a manifestation of space-time geometry. The book is written with the intention of providing students (and teachers) of the first years of University courses with a tool which is easy to be applied and allows the solution of any problem of relativistic kinematics at the same time. The book treats in a rigorous way, but using a non-sophisticated mathematics, the Kinematics of Special Relativity. As an example, the famous "Twin Paradox" is completely solved for all kinds of motions. The novelty of the presentation in this book consists in the extensive use of hyperbolic numbers, the simplest extension of complex numbers, for a complete formalization of the kinematics in the Minkowski space-time. Moreover, from this formalization the understanding of gravity comes as a manifestation of curvature of space-time, suggesting new research fields.
| Author | : Éric Gourgoulhon |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 800 |
| Release | : 2013-08-20 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 3642372767 |
Special relativity is the basis of many fields in modern physics: particle physics, quantum field theory, high-energy astrophysics, etc. This theory is presented here by adopting a four-dimensional point of view from the start. An outstanding feature of the book is that it doesn’t restrict itself to inertial frames but considers accelerated and rotating observers. It is thus possible to treat physical effects such as the Thomas precession or the Sagnac effect in a simple yet precise manner. In the final chapters, more advanced topics like tensorial fields in spacetime, exterior calculus and relativistic hydrodynamics are addressed. In the last, brief chapter the author gives a preview of gravity and shows where it becomes incompatible with Minkowsky spacetime. Well illustrated and enriched by many historical notes, this book also presents many applications of special relativity, ranging from particle physics (accelerators, particle collisions, quark-gluon plasma) to astrophysics (relativistic jets, active galactic nuclei), and including practical applications (Sagnac gyrometers, synchrotron radiation, GPS). In addition, the book provides some mathematical developments, such as the detailed analysis of the Lorentz group and its Lie algebra. The book is suitable for students in the third year of a physics degree or on a masters course, as well as researchers and any reader interested in relativity. Thanks to the geometric approach adopted, this book should also be beneficial for the study of general relativity. “A modern presentation of special relativity must put forward its essential structures, before illustrating them using concrete applications to specific dynamical problems. Such is the challenge (so successfully met!) of the beautiful book by Éric Gourgoulhon.” (excerpt from the Foreword by Thibault Damour)
| Author | : James J. Callahan |
| Publisher | : Springer Science & Business Media |
| Total Pages | : 474 |
| Release | : 2013-03-09 |
| Genre | : Science |
| ISBN | : 1475767366 |
Hermann Minkowski recast special relativity as essentially a new geometric structure for spacetime. This book looks at the ideas of both Einstein and Minkowski, and then introduces the theory of frames, surfaces and intrinsic geometry, developing the main implications of Einstein's general relativity theory.
