Using simple examples from everyday life, an Einstein scholar offers entertaining, nontechnical demonstrations of the meaning of relativity theory. Starting with the geometrical and cosmological ideas of the ancient Greeks, he traces the theory's development from its basis in work by Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Faraday, Maxwell, and others. 1983 edition.

A pair of eminent Russian theoretical physicists offer a captivating view of the paradoxes inherent to the special theory of relativity. Written in a straightforward fashion, the text uses familiar objects (e.g., trains, rulers, and clocks) to illuminate the more subtle and elusive aspects of relativity. 23 illustrations. 1959 edition.

"As we humans have expanded our horizons to see things vastly smaller, faster, larger, and farther than ever before, we have been forced to confront preconceptions born of the human experience and create wholly new ways of looking at the world around us. The theories of relativity and quantum physics were developed out of this need and have provided us with phenomenal, mind-twisting insights into the strange and exciting reality show of our universe....

"Welcome to the Universe is a personal guided tour of the cosmos by three of today's leading astrophysicists. Inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton, this book covers it all--from planets, stars, and galaxies to black holes, wormholes, and time travel. Describing the latest discoveries in astrophysics, the informative and entertaining...

"A mind-bending book about modern physics, quantum mechanics, the fate of stars and the deep mysteries of black holes. What happens when something is sucked into a black hole? Does it disappear? Three decades ago, a young physicist named Stephen Hawking claimed it did--and in doing so put at risk everything we know about physics and the fundamental laws of the universe. Most scientists didn't recognize the import of Hawking's claims, but Leonard Susskind...

"In The Hunt for Vulcan, Thomas Levenson follows the visionary scientists who inhabit the story of the phantom planet, starting with Isaac Newton, who in 1687 provided an explanation for all matter in motion throughout the universe, leading to Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier, who almost two centuries later built on Newton?s theories and discovered Neptune, becoming the most famous scientist in the world. Le Verrier attempted to surpass that triumph...

"Best known for his general theory of relativity and the famous equation linking mass and energy, E = mc², Albert Einstein had a lasting impact on the world of science, the extent of which is illuminated--along with his fascinating life and unique personality--in this lively history. In addition to learning all about Einstein's important contributions to science, from proving the existence and size of atoms and launching the field of quantum mechanics...

Relativity and quantum physics touch the very basis of physical reality, altering commonsense notions of space and time, cause and effect. Both have reputations for complexity, but the basic ideas behind relativity and quantum physics are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. The essence of relativity in a single sentence: The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion. Relativity and quantum physics are the gateway...