Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein (PDF)

Description

Albert Einstein is the unquestioned founder of modern physics. His theory of relativity is the most important scientific idea of the modern era. In this book Einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas and principles of the theory which has shaped the world we live in today. Unsurpassed by any subsequent books on relativity, this remains the most popular and useful exposition of Einstein’s immense contribution to human knowledge.In this work Einstein intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general and scientific philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. The theory of relativity enriched physics and astronomy during the 20th century.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I had a physics minor in college many moons ago, but relativity was not part of any course. I just wanted a review of the theory for my own edification. Also, I bought a copy for my son-in-law and wanted to able to discuss the book with him. Well written, short to the point chapters and very illuminating reading. Albert, you are awesome!

⭐“The universe of these beings is finite and yet has no limits.” – Albert Einstein, in chapter XXXISo says one of the great thinkers – perhaps, the great thinker – of the twentieth century in explaining his general theory of relativity. While there was much mathematical in its derivation, Einstein explains it in common language to the educated reader in this short work. He also explains the special theory of relativity here. While such things are hard to digest (at least at first), they are certainly able to be digested in this format. That this presentation exists in such clarity at all bespeaks to Einstein’s genius.I once took theology classes at a seminary on Mercer Street in Princeton, just down the street from where Einstein used to live. Stories about his commonness yet uncommonness still filled the town. He amazingly had the gall to claim that the universe was circular or elliptical – and then attempted to prove it. He did so by clear thought, not by experiment as he was a theoritician, and this book contains an accessible version of those thoughts. For that reason alone, the curious reader is encouraged to dwell deeply within this record of his understanding.Like mathematics, physics is a field full of geniuses whose ingenuity is common with respect to each other. I am not a physicist, and I will not attempt to comment on the science presented. From what I understand, some of Einstein’s formulations have been questioned by contemporary experiments, and string theory (though still unproven) attempts to generalize even further. To me, neither of these discredits Einstein’s accomplishment with regards to relativity. Of course, his annus mirabilis (“miracle year” of 1905) included other important findings like Brownian motion, and for better or for worse, his legacy will forever be bound with the Manhattan project and its atomic bomb.Thumbing through a work like this and dwelling on the beauty of its contents surely provide one of the greatest experiences humans can have. Only a handful of works, like those by Immanuel Kant or Isaac Newton or Augustine of Hippo, reach the heights like this. As such, anyone with any inkling of interest in physics should attempt to study these theories, and who better to read than the author of them himself? I enjoyed my time reading this work immensely. The translation is clear and scientific, but reading still is a little difficult due to the complex subject matter. Nonetheless, being a dog eating the crumbs from Einstein’s table still provides quite a treat!

⭐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 is a classic text. It’s not the best book ever written about Relativity, but it’s one of the most interesting because of the wonderful insight it gives us into the way that Einstein himself thought about it.But it would have been nice if someone involved with the Kindle edition had proof-read it before publishing it. I’ve never read a book so absolutely stuffed with typesetting errors. There’s at least one typo on almost every page. It’s really awful. I imagine that it was scanned from an original print copy by a machine, and then no one bothered to check it at all before offering it to the public.So: five stars for the book, no stars for the edition. Giving it four stars overall.

⭐Prior to purchasing this book, one might notice some reviewers pointing out certain editions with poor translations and missing diagrams. The following edition is a good translation with the diagrams included:ISBN 978-1-891396-30-4The book walks the reader through the development of the special and general theories of relativity and the supporting theories they were built upon. Starting with the special theory and its limited applicability and the later development of the more universal general theory, aimed at covering the deficiencies of the former.The first chapters of the book on the general theory of relativity are easy to approach even for those with no background in physics, featuring only little math and easy to relate to examples. More math and complexity comes in the later stages of the book introducing the general theory of relativity and may be hard to grasp even with a basic background in physics.Noticeably the book is a translation and the original language is not English, however its still readable. Its not light reading so be prepared to sit and think in order to really digest and understand the principles. Overall a good basic insight to one of the greatest achievements in physics, which could perhaps benefit from a few extra diagrams for those with a limited background.

⭐When physicists insist on writing nonsense, it is helpful to get it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. With relativity we have to get our heads around the idea that no matter how fast we are moving, we will always measure the speed of light relative to ourselves as exactly the same. This defies the common sense of our daily experience. But, using everyday language and practically no mathematics, Einstein leads us to accept this experimentally confirmed truth in the only way it can be accepted: that our time and our space lengthen or shorten such that the light around us travels at 300,000 of our km per one of our seconds. OK. I’m sure he’s right. But, he does another thing in this book which I found most valuable, and that is that he firmly ties the discussion of relativity to empirical reality, so that in the end we might accept relativity with no more fuss than we accept a 30 cm rule for measuring distances and drawing straight lines. One returns to the undergraduate texts much strengthened.

⭐Well, I admit defeat once again. This stuff is too much for my poor brain! There were instances where I could say, `oh yes` or `ah I see` but they were few. I found as the book progressed that I simply could not read it! A shame, because I am interested in the ideas here. In a way I think that part of the reason I find this subject attractive is that it is so mind blowing, but also so hard to grasp! I have looked at numerous explanations for relativity with time dilation/length contraction etc – and they all tend to repeat the same examples eg twins paradox. Sure, I understand the language they use, but true understanding – to me the whole concept of `understanding` is called into question! So now I have a copy of `Einstein for dummies` which was recommended by someone. Let`s hope I have more success here.

⭐Considering the information contained in this book, the Kindle version was astounding value for money. Thank you for producing this book that was ten times easier to read than I had expected. Everyone who is a scientist should read it.

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