The Lighter Side of Gravity

A beautifully clear and completely non-technical guide to the intriguing phenomena of gravity – for the student and general reader.

Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (Author)

9780521565653, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 October 1996

232 pages, 117 b/w illus. 2 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.39 kg

' … clear and simple explanations of basic gravitational phenomena: it does not try to rush headlong into exotica, but takes time to coax the reader through orbits, motions and the fate of stars.' John D. Barrow, The Observatory

Gravity is the most enigmatic of all known basic forces in nature. Yet it controls everything from the motion of ocean tides to the expansion of the entire Universe. Many books use technical jargon and high-powered maths to explain what gravity is all about. In The Lighter Side of Gravity, the presentation is beautifully clear and completely non-technical. Familiar analogies, interesting anecdotes and numerous illustrations are used throughout to get across subtle effects and difficult points. The coverage is, however, comprehensive and makes no compromise with accuracy. This second edition has been brought completely up to date and expanded to include the discovery of gigantic gravitational lenses in space, the findings of the COBE satellite, the detection of MACHOS, the investigations of the very early Universe and other new ideas in cosmology. In short, this lucid and stimulating book presents 'the lighter side' of the intriguing phenomena of 'gravity' to the student and general reader.

Preface
1. Why things move
2. From the falling apple to Apollo II
3. How strong is gravity?
4. Fusion reactors in space
5. Living in curved spacetime
6. Ocean tides and gravity waves
7. The strange world of black holes
8. Cosmic energy machines
9. The Big Bang
10. The Universe: from simplicity to complexity
11. Gravity and the creation of matter
12. The many faces of gravity.

Subject Areas: Astronomy, space & time [PG]