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Title: Spacetime Physics: Introduction to Special Relativity by Edwin F. Taylor, John Archibald Wheeler ISBN: 0-7167-2327-1 Publisher: W H Freeman & Co. Pub. Date: April, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $58.40 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.11 (18 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: A bit dissapointed.
Comment: I purchased this book in order to get a good introduction into relativity.I found it a bit dissaponting though as in my opinion the style and contents of the book do not match the intellectual abilities and achievements of its authors.I recommend borrowing the book first from a library before buying it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Well presented and excellent for self-study
Comment: I used this book to begin my mathematical study of Relativity (and am now working my way through the author's next book, Exploring Black Holes). This book is an excellent introduction into the field from a mathematical perspective, with an excellent presentation, interesting problem sets, and solutions for the odd numbered problems in the back (which is great for learning on your own). The prose is highly readable, and uses very accessible terminology to help the reader understand "what is really going on."
In its course, Taylor and Wheeler present over a dozen "paradoxes" relating to Special Relativity. Several of these appear in the main text, while the remainder appear as problems. I believe my intuition is lacking because I was unable to get the right answer for the paradox problems without working through the math first - although this intuition may come only with further experience. I would have been happy if the authors had included a few more paradox problems with solutions from an "intuition" perspective (as well as a mathematical solutions) to help gain this intuition.
The mathematics throughout the book is nothing harder than algebra and the occasional trigonometry, so it should well be accessible to anyone with a high-school calculus understanding of math. One mathematical trick the authors introduce in their next book would be helpful for this one as well: when solving for a number which is only slightly less than one, (as in several of the problems with particles moving near light speed) instead of trying to solve for .9999999999992343, which would be rounded to 1 by most calculators, solve for "1 - X" instead.
Scattered copiously throughout the book are solved sample problems which guide the reader through the easier problems, as well as "boxes" which discuss interesting ramifications and related material. The more involved problems often include step by step instructions on how to reach a solution which would otherwise be by no means obvious at first glance (at least, not to me). Many problems deal with actual experiments performed to test and validate relativity.
In sum, I cannot find any substantial problems with this book. It is clear, concise, battle-tested (having been originally published over thirty years ago), and an excellent formal introduction into the pardoxical world of Special Relativity. One author maintains a web site at http://www.eftaylor.com/ with, among other material, an interesting article on the writing of this book and his collaboration with John Wheeler.
The interested reader can find a history of the development of Special and General Relativity in Kip Thorne's Black Holes and Time Warps.
PS: Professor Taylor confirms that the answer to sample problem 8-17b in the seventh printing (which I have) is off by a factor of 1000.
Rating: 4
Summary: a good introduction, for those who need it
Comment: This is a fun book to read, and a good introduction to the topic of special relativity. Those who are looking for a laid back, amusing introduction would love this book. Those posters who are giving it 1-2 stars, I have one question - why did you buy the book? Looking at all the negative posts, they have one thing in common, they were all made by people with some exposure to the topic of special relativity (ie, university physics students). Why one earth would someone studying relativity in university purchase a basic book like this? There are text books written on a more advanced level for people like this - and they should know this. If I'm an advanced expert user of Excel, why would I buy "Excel for Dummies" and complain that it was too basic? (unless I was hoping to impress people with how smart I am).
The title says it all "Introduction to Special Relativity", yes its big, its dumb at times, but its also fun and definitely worth getting
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Title: Exploring Black Holes: Introduction to General Relativity by Edwin F. Taylor, John Archibald Wheeler ISBN: 020138423X Publisher: Benjamin/Cummings Pub. Date: 12 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $37.33 |
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Title: A First Course in General Relativity by Bernard F. Schutz ISBN: 0521277035 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 31 January, 1985 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Relativity : The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein ISBN: 0517884410 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 06 June, 1995 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy by Kip S. Thorne, Frederick Seitz, Stephen Hawking ISBN: 0393312763 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: January, 1995 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Understanding Relativity: A Simplified Approach to Einstein's Theories by Leo Sartori ISBN: 0520200292 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: June, 1996 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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