An Illustrated Guide to Relativity 1st Edition by Tatsu Takeuchi (PDF)

Description

Aimed at both physics students and non-science majors, this unique book explains Einstein’s special theory of relativity pictorially, using diagrams rather than equations. The diagrams guide the reader, step-by-step, from the basics of relativity to advanced topics including the addition of velocities, Lorentz contraction, time dilation, the twin paradox, Doppler shift, and Einstein’s famous equation E=mc². The distinctive figures throughout the book enable the reader to visualize the theory in a way that cannot be fully conveyed through equations alone. The illustrative explanations in this book maintain the logic and rigour necessary for physics students, yet are simple enough to be understood by non-scientists. The book also contains entertaining problems which challenge the reader’s understanding of the materials covered.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐When I have a student who wants to learn a little relativity from a commercially published book, I usually suggest one of two books: Taylor and Wheeler’s Spacetime Physics (for the mathematically adept) or Takeuchi (for others).Here are my opinions on the pluses and minuses of Takeuchi:Pro:The physics is not obscured by equations that will be impenetrable to gen ed students.The presentation is for the most part modern and geometical. This is a welcome antidote to outdated presentations that read as though they’d been written in 1935.The problems seem good on casual inspection.Con:The presentation of the distinction between SR and GR is out of date. Takeuchi presents this using Einstein’s original formulation in terms of inertial versus noninertial frames of reference, whereas modern physicists think of it as a distinction between flat spacetime and curved spacetime.p. 92 – “This conservation of spacetime area maintains the symmetry between the tree- and car-frames, since each is moving at the exact same speed when observed from the other frame, and ensures that the correspondence between the points on the two diagrams is one-to-one.” This is totally wrong. A one-to-one function from a plane to a plane need not conserve area. There are valid elementary arguments for conservation of area in the x-t plane, but this is not such an argument.The second half of the book is not as lucid as the first. Takeuchi develops the “mass-momentum vector” in Newtonian mechanics; this seems like an awkward way to approach the topic, and is more abstract than pictures of world-lines. His target audience has never been exposed to 3-vectors. When he discusses the energy-momentum vector in SR, he drifts toward a higher level of math.The other book to consider for this audience would be Mermin’s It’s About Time, which strikes me as more rigorous and less inviting.

⭐This is a great book that can be used as a very good entry level introduction to the mysterious and exciting subject of the special theory of relativity. The most amazing thing about this book is that you will not find a single equation in it. Everything is explained using the graphical language of so-called space-time diagrams. Prof. Takeuchi is a great teacher, so it is very easy to follow his explanations. The book covers the basic material typically covered in a standard course on special relativity: Galilean relativity, time dilation, length contraction, the relativity of simultaneity, relativistic causality, clock synchronization, twin paradox, Doppler effect, etc. It also contains elements of classical and relativistic dynamics. But the best part about the book is that it is written in a very reader-friendly way, so you will certainly enjoy reading it. I strongly recommend the book to everybody who wants to learn relativity and even to those who are already familiar with it. The latter can use the book to strengthen their understanding of the subject. (Personally, I am teaching Einstein’s special theory of relativity in a college so I know it. But I still had a lot of fun reading Prof. Takeuchi’s book.)

⭐Bought to supplement modern physics class curriculum. Helped with drawing and reading Minkowski diagrams!

⭐wish it was a *bit* more quantitative in places, but really good reference on Minkowski diagrams for teaching relativity; makes a number of things nicely clear, especially desynchronization of clocks

⭐A fine book explain Reltivity from basic concepts the explanations are very clear the illustration are fine and help to understand relativity in depth,

⭐Overpriced

⭐this is always fancinating to me. after study the linear algebra and vetor knowledge, relativity theory can be broken down for understanding.

⭐This is such a fun easy to understand read. Definitely worth it to understand basic Relativity.

⭐Nice book, starting step-by-step at a simplistic level. Special relativity only.Delivered promptly in good condition.

⭐I originally got this book from the library and found it a helpful way of explaining Special Relativity. However, the version I received when I ordered is the 2012 reprint, where all the helpful diagrams are now in black and white, not in colour as in the original. Since the diagrams often use colour to identify the different frames of the different objects in motion, the illustrations are not as clear and harder to follow.

⭐Un texto sencillo que permite asimilar un tema tan complejo y nada intuitivo come el de la relatividadLa versión original tenía los diagramas en colores para distinguir mejor que estaba pasando. Esta versión, seguramente para bajar costo de producción, está en escala de grises. Aunque útil no lo recomiendo, mejor consigan un versión vieja o la versión electrónica.Great explanation of such a complex topic!

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