Space-Time, Relativity, and Cosmology

Undergraduate textbook providing a historical introduction to modern relativistic cosmology.

Jose Wudka (Author)

9780521529761, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 10 June 2010

332 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.45 kg

Review of the hardback: '… the strength of the book lies in the way it sets out the story of the rise of modern relativistic cosmology against the backdrop of the development of science as a whole. It succeeds in explaining how dramatic theoretical speculation is only a small part of the tale.' General Relativity and Gravitation

Space-Time, Relativity, and Cosmology provides a historical introduction to modern relativistic cosmology and traces its historical roots and evolution from antiquity to Einstein. The topics are presented in a non-mathematical manner, with the emphasis on the ideas that underlie each theory rather than their detailed quantitative consequences. A significant part of the book focuses on the Special and General theories of relativity. The tests and experimental evidence supporting the theories are explained together with their predictions and their confirmation. Other topics include a discussion of modern relativistic cosmology, the consequences of Hubble's observations leading to the Big Bang hypothesis, and an overview of the most exciting research topics in relativistic cosmology. This textbook is intended for introductory undergraduate courses on the foundations of modern physics. It is also accessible to advanced high school students, as well as non-science majors who are concerned with science issues.

Acknowledgements
1. The scientific method
2. From antiquity to Aristotle
3. From the Middle Ages to heliocentrism
4. Galileo and Newton
5. The clouds gather
6. The Special Theory of Relativity
7. The General Theory of Relativity
8. The relativistic universe
9. The lives of a star
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Relativity physics [PHR], Nuclear physics [PHN], Cosmology & the universe [PGK]