It’s About Time: Understanding Einstein’s Relativity (Princeton Science Library, 115) by N. David Mermin (PDF)

Description

In It’s About Time, N. David Mermin asserts that relativity ought to be an important part of everyone’s education–after all, it is largely about time, a subject with which all are familiar. The book reveals that some of our most intuitive notions about time are shockingly wrong, and that the real nature of time discovered by Einstein can be rigorously explained without advanced mathematics. This readable exposition of the nature of time as addressed in Einstein’s theory of relativity is accessible to anyone who remembers a little high school algebra and elementary plane geometry. The book evolved as Mermin taught the subject to diverse groups of undergraduates at Cornell University, none of them science majors, over three and a half decades. Mermin’s approach is imaginative, yet accurate and complete. Clear, lively, and informal, the book will appeal to intellectually curious readers of all kinds, including even professional physicists, who will be intrigued by its highly original approach.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “Mermin’s premise is that everyone should know about relativity in order to understand the real nature of time. . . . What is remarkable in his approach is his reliance on developing the reader’s skills to analyze events in more than one frame of reference. This is the key to understanding relativity: being able to translate with ease from one frame of reference (a moving train) to another (a station).”—Simon Mitton, Times Higher Education Supplement”This is a book full of insight with an engaging style. I recommend it to anyone who has to teach the subject to either [non scientists or undergraduate and graduate students]: it’s a brilliant basis for a set of lecture notes.”—Derek Raine, Nature”It’s About Time is a book that should join the very best systematic popular expositions of science written in the last 50 years.”—Peter L. Galison, American Scientist”In this highly readable book, Mermin argues that a working knowledge of relativity requires no more than basic algebra and geometry. He makes a valid point. Special relativity is more fundamental, up-to-date and accurate than Newtonian physics, and Einstein’s presence in the classroom may inspire the most uninterested student.”—Amanda Gefter, New Scientist”There’s a profound difference between knowing about something, and knowing it, and Mermin succeeds at instilling the latter.”—Gilbert Taylor, Booklist”Mermin has taught relativity for 40 years and has clearly thought about the best way to teach the subject. It’s About Time offers a serious, yet accessible approach to relativity.”—Kara shane Colley, MAA Reviews”What makes the book as a whole so enjoyable to read is the steady pace at which the subject unfolds. The author spends as much time on each idea as he considers necessary. . . . Nowhere is the book too intense, and the learning curve for readers has a fairly constant slope. . . . David Mermin [is] a master teacher at work–and instructors will almost certainly include some of the ideas in their own teaching.”—Nigel Dowrick, Physics Today”Requiring nothing more than a basic understanding of algebra, [this book] provides the clearest and most insightful treatment of special relativity I’ve ever encountered. . . . It’s About Time brings the practice and foundation of physics together through the question of time.”—Arkady Plotnitsky, Foundations of Physics”The reader will find some of the best non-technical description of the special theory of relativity ever written.”—Jaume J. Carot, Mathematical Reviews”An excellent book on Einstein’s special theory of relativity. . . . I clearly see the strength of this book in lucid, self-contained, lively, down-to-earth, and meticulous presentation. . . . I have no hesitation in saying that this is the best book on the special theory of relativity at a semi-popular level I have ever read.”—K. S. Birbhadra, The Observatory Review “David Mermin’s new book is a gem. Requiring nothing more than a basic understanding of algebra, it provides the clearest and most insightful treatment of special relativity I’ve ever encountered. Students new to special relativity should learn it from this text; those already familiar with the subject should read this book to enhance their understanding and (of equal importance) to experience the craft of a master teacher.”―Brian Greene, Columbia University”This book includes material that is intellectually innovative and comes as a surprise even to specialists in the field. Its uniqueness, its insights, and its wonderful style will likely make it a classic.”―Richard Price, University of Utah”Well-written, chatty and engaging, this book will be accessible to scientists and non-scientists alike.”―Robert Geroch, University of Chicago”The reader who works through this book carefully will have quite a good understanding of what special relativity is all about. It offers a fresh approach to the subject.”―Michael Strauss, Princeton University From the Back Cover “David Mermin’s new book is a gem. Requiring nothing more than a basic understanding of algebra, it provides the clearest and most insightful treatment of special relativity I’ve ever encountered. Students new to special relativity should learn it from this text; those already familiar with the subject should read this book to enhance their understanding and (of equal importance) to experience the craft of a master teacher.”–Brian Greene, Columbia University”This book includes material that is intellectually innovative and comes as a surprise even to specialists in the field. Its uniqueness, its insights, and its wonderful style will likely make it a classic.”–Richard Price, University of Utah”Well-written, chatty and engaging, this book will be accessible to scientists and non-scientists alike.”–Robert Geroch, University of Chicago”The reader who works through this book carefully will have quite a good understanding of what special relativity is all about. It offers a fresh approach to the subject.”–Michael Strauss, Princeton University About the Author N. David Mermin is a theoretical physicist who has worked in solid state physics, low temperature physics, statistical physics, crystallography, and foundations of quantum mechanics. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and won the first Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical society for “his remarkable clarity and wit as a lecturer to nonspecialists on difficult subjects.” His books include Solid State Physics, Boojums All the Way Through, and Space and Time in Special Relativity. Read more

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

⭐Relativity is one of the fundamental ideas of modern physics. In It’s About Time, N. David Mermin attempts to simplify the concepts that underlie frames of reference, special relativity and general relativity to make them consumable by the masses. While his style of prose and multiple accompanying diagrams are straightforward, Mermin has gotten ahead of himself in assuming that the average layperson would read his work and thus possess an understanding of Einstein’s theories.Mermin begins by exploring frames of reference, an idea with which most people have a working understanding. His repeated use of a single example, the moving train and the stationary platform, establishes a baseline upon which innumerable ideas can be built. Mermin uses this example throughout the book, building upon the reader’s knowledge base and therefore establishing a common reference. This is no mistake as it is a simple example with several useful applications in the construct of relativity.After examining the ideas contained within non-relativistic frames of reference, Mermin quickly moves into a discussion of the speed of light, leading anyone with an elementary background in physics to the conclusion that special relativity will follow closely behind. This discussion of not only the mathematical value but the discovery, naming and implications of this velocity is a valuable read for persons of any scientific background. Mermin exceeds expectations in this particular chapter as he weaves a story that does not require significant research on the part of the reader in order to understand the material.Mermin quickly moves into the combination of velocities taking into account relativistic effects. It is in this chapter that the mathematical requirements on the part of the reader begin to expand and Mermin’s initial claim that a knowledge of beginning high school algebra will suffice starts to break down. It is the recommendation of this reviewer that a stronger foundation than beginning algebra is necessary for understanding the rational expressions that bring about the changes in resultant velocities due to the effects of relativity. Mermin does break down the equations and explain their uses quite well, demonstrating patience with readers of all levels of understanding.One aspect in which Mermin excels is the labeling of all diagrams in the book. Each diagram is captioned so that the reader is able to readily match the diagram with the passage in which its concept is discussed. Mermin does, however, tend to skip intermediary steps in his diagrams and is constrained by the limits of black and white printing, both of which obscure the individual pieces of the diagram and lead the reader on a journey to reconstruct these diagrams in order to recognize their origins.As the reader journeys with Mermin into the realm of synchronized clocks, Mermin begins to leave the reader behind. It is in this chapter that Mermin begins to attempt to convey conceptual understanding far beyond the typical introductory student of physics. The idea that synchronized clocks and simultaneous events can be defined as such dependent upon their frame of reference is one that exceeds the level of reader previously addressed by Mermin. This chapter is a turning point in the book and the author does not look back. From this chapter on, Mermin is addressing a reader for whom abstract reasoning is commonplace and a knowledge base of modern physics has already been established.Mermin next moves into what can be commonly termed time dilation and length contraction. The reader with an elementary background in modern physics will readily absorb the knowledge imparted by Mermin as it is these concepts conveyed with a fresh perspective. Mermin again uses the example of the moving train and stationary platform to illustrate these relativistic effects. The equations contained in this chapter are no more complex that those of the previous chapters, though the explanations provided by Mermin are no sufficiently clear as to guide the reader to a level of comprehension that would make him comfortable with the topic and able to explain in his own words.The explanation of the relativistic Doppler effect provided by Mermin in the following chapter is clear and concise, provided that the reader understood the material up to this point. This chapter is unusually short when compared to its kin, and left this reviewer wishing that Mermin had taken the opportunity to expand upon its ideas and clarify in words in addition to the mathematical explanation he does provide.Mermin’s explanation of the space-time interval in chapter eight is unpredictably clear given the material and his previous tendency to confound the reader. This is, of course, assuming that the reader has more than an introductory knowledge of both algebra and geometry. Mermin illustrates this interval in the simplest manner possible, even using bullet points to shorten his thoughts, yet the reader would need to either take a leap of faith or engage in reading comprehension techniques in order to glean Mermin’s thinking.The next chapter, entitled “Trains of Rockets,” will be the point at which most readers set down this book for good. Mermin attempts here to piece together two previously discussed ideas, relativistic motion and clock synchronization. This attempt results in confusing text, incomplete diagrams, and overall confusion. Mermin makes a large leap from one diagram to the next, leaving the reader befuddled and wondering where the previous picture went. The heretofore convention of captioning all pictures and diagrams is lost in this chapter, adding to the lack of clarity.Mermin next introduces the reader to space-time, or Minkowski, diagrams as a means for explaining movement through time and space. He uses vocabulary which appear to be personal and not yet universal. Mermin defines an “equitemp” as a line showing equal time in a frame of reference and “equiloc” as a line of equal location. This introduction of nomenclature outside of the accepted terms does serve to add clarity in the setting of the book, but does not assist the reader as these words do not carry over into regular conversation. Again Mermin is constrained by the limits of black and white text as he attempts to save space by consolidating multiple diagrams into one. Without precise labeling and explanation this reviewer was unable to discern the meaning behind most of the included diagrams. Mermin is unable to convey how the space-time diagram can be a useful tool with any degree of certainty, leaving the reader with only a sense that these can be drawn.The addition of clocks into the space-time geometry structure without the use of lines adds an entire new dimension of confusion for the reader. Mermin is attempting to show what each traveler will see within his own frame of reference but fails to fails to sufficiently clarify this. The reader is left with several diagrams that, using the established formula of the chapter, do not accomplish anything other than conveying Mermin’s delusion that a reader without previous instruction in modern physics could have any idea what he is trying to communicate.It is only after this chapter of confusion that Mermin begins to address the most well-known yet most widely misunderstood equation in all of physics, E = mc2. If the reader has continued to open the book long enough to get to this point, he will be rewarded with a broad overview of physics that will decidedly cause more frustration without truly clarifying anything. This chapter captures the spirit of the book; Mermin meant to write something for the layperson yet has no idea that the average layperson has little to no understanding of physics or algebra.Mermin ends the book with a chapter intending to explain general relativity. Unfortunately, most readers will have discarded this book long before this chapter and the remainder will do so halfway through his explanation of this topic. General relativity is unmistakably difficult to comprehend and Mermin does not change this.It was the intention of Mermin to make Einstein’s work in relativity palatable for the masses, but this reviewer would argue that the masses would not pick up this book. Mermin has no idea what the average person can understand and has obviously lost touch with average long ago. The reader with a background in modern physics, however, will find this book somewhat informative although challenging in places. Mermin’s use of captioned diagrams does highlight each passage despite being constrained by the limitations of printing in black and white. Repeated mathematical proofs are outside of the realm of elementary algebra but may be deciphered by someone with a higher education in mathematics and a large degree of patience. Overall, this reviewer would recommend It’s About Time by N. David Mermin for the university student searching for a deeper understanding of relativity or the academic professional looking for a though-provoking read.

⭐This book was produced from the lectures given for many years by the author for a course on Relativity that was given to Cornell University non-science majors. Aimed at an audience of non-scientists one would expect a watered-down, simplified book. While only basic algebra is utilized, with the introduction of almost no Physics, this is far from a watered-down or simple book. As the author clearly states, this in not a book that can be read like a novel. It requires deep concentration and a lot of patience to follow what is presented, but in the end the reader is rewarded for their efforts with a deeper understanding of what the Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is all about- it’s all about time. I have previously read the general treatments of relativity written by Einstein, Martin Gardner, Richard Wolfson, David Bohm, Max Born and the sections on relativity in Richard Feynman’s physics text. Even with a considerable background I found a new understanding of the subject.Unlike most relativity books, this one does not start with the reason’s why Einstein developed a new way of looking at time and space and in doing so overturned Newton’s ideas of time and space. The book focuses on the problem of examining events from different frames of reference, and in doing so develops the ideas of relativity without any detailed physics arguments, beyond the idea that the speed of light is the same for all observers, regardless of their velocity. The arguments are all logical and geometrical. Gradually one learns how events may or may not be simultaneous when viewed in the same or different frames of reference, how velocities combine, how time measured on a clock can be a function of the velocity at which the clock moves and how this leads to new concepts of space and time – to space-time. While relatively straight forward at first, the text got much more complex as it progressed and became so complex that after a while I found myself longing for the simplification of a bit more complex mathematics. In fact, it drove home to me how much mathematics can simplify a problem and how difficult things can get when one tries to do without it.I found the first half of the book to be somewhat challenging, but in the end quite understandable. Unfortunately, I found the next third of the book to be much less clear. This portion of the book deals with the analysis of a “train of rockets” and the idea of space-time. Instead of dealing with the standard approach to space-time, Professor Mermin utilizes his own approach using the ideas of equiloc and equitemp, that he developed. I found this approach far more difficult to grasp than the conventional one. While it does bring out many features of space-time, it requires a difficult exercise in visualization, and in the end is used to only derive equations that had previously been derived in other, and in my opinion, much more assessable ways. I am sure that in Professor Memin’s classes he assign’s homework problems and discusses their solutions and in this way helps the student more firmly grasp the equiloc/equitemp concepts and how they are used. Studying this approach without them is, in my opinion, very difficult and a bit frustrating. One hopes that these might be included in future editions, or at least this section should be enlarged. The last sixth of the book deals with energy and mass, general relativity and why relativity may be as it is. I particularly liked the energy/mass chapter as it presents the subject in a modern manner, as opposed to the other books that I have read that follow Einstein’s approach. This new approach utilizes the concept of mass being invariant in all frames of reference, so it is not a function of its velocity. Instead the analysis is done in terms of relativistic momentum.Given that I liked this book and learned a lot from it, why am I giving it only four stars, instead of five? This is definitely not a book for someone who just wants to understand a bit about Relativity. For them I would recommend Gardner’s book (Relativity Simply Explained) or the one by Wolfson (Simply Einstein). I would, however, recommend this book to someone, like myself, who has a reasonable general background in Relativity but is not studying the subject in a college course, with the understanding that this is a difficult book. I think that the book is best suited for a physics major studying relativity from another text. Physics professors who teach relativity will probably also like this book. I am thus giving the book only four stars because I do not think that it is a good choice for the stated target audience and I would like to be a slight counterweight to some of the five-star reviews that recommend this book without any reservations.

⭐I really enjoyed this book, as I found it gave a particularly forensic analysis of things SR and showed the reader how to do the same. I would imagine it would be a good book for an A Level or undergraduate student of physics hoping to develop their analytic approach. It also seems suited to the interested layman or hobbyist (it has some mathematics in it but it is not advanced and I would have thought that even if that is not your thing that you could still get plenty from this book from the ‘natural’ language).

⭐Worth knowing you can understand something of Einstein… Clear exposition of an important theory which has turned out to be so true.

⭐A very thorough introduction to special relativity, using a clear example of train and track observers throughout. Good on addition of velocities in addition to time dilation and relativistic contraction.

⭐Porque había leído uno de sus artículos de relatividad en AJP

⭐

⭐This book si excellent because it explains the counterintuitive facts of special relativity in a very simple and clear way, with a little BASIC mathematics, giving a real understanding of this beautiful and strange theory. I think that anyone can (and should) read this volume.

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