An Introduction to Gravity

This student-friendly text builds on familiar physics to illuminate the structure of general relativity for a junior/senior level course.

Joel Franklin (Author)

9781009389709, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 April 2024

340 pages
26.2 x 18.5 x 2.3 cm, 0.83 kg

'From the understanding of special relativity and the theory of electromagnetism Dr. Franklin found a unique conceptual linkage that significantly eases the emergence of Einstein's theoretical framework for gravity. This book brings a breath of fresh air among many introductory general relativity textbooks. It is an excellent alternative for students who might find it hard to learn general relativity with existing textbooks.' Liang Chen, University of Ottawa

Einstein's theory of gravity can be difficult to introduce at the undergraduate level, or for self-study. One way to ease its introduction is to construct intermediate theories between the previous successful theory of gravity, Newton's, and our modern theory, Einstein's general relativity. This textbook bridges the gap by merging Newtonian gravity and special relativity (by analogy with electricity and magnetism), a process that both builds intuition about general relativity, and indicates why it has the form that it does. This approach is used to motivate the structure of the full theory, as a nonlinear field equation governing a second rank tensor with geometric interpretation, and to understand its predictions by comparing it with the, often qualitatively correct, predictions of intermediate theories between Newton's and Einstein's. Suitable for a one-semester course at junior or senior level, this student-friendly approach builds on familiar undergraduate physics to illuminate the structure of general relativity.

Preface
1. Newtonian gravity
2. Transformation and tensors
3. The Riemann tensor and Einstein's equation
4. Vacuum solutions and geodesics
5. Gravitational waves and radiation
6. Gravitational sources
7. Field theories and gravity
Appendix A. Lorentz transformations and special relativity
Appendix B. Runge-Kutta methods
Appendix C. Curvature in D = 1, 2
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Atmospheric physics [PHVJ]