Understanding Relativity: A Simplified Approach to Einstein's Theories

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book at elementary level.
Review: (from publisher's ad in Science, 10 May 1996): An extraordinarily well-written, well-researched, and carefully thought outpiece of work....The discussions of the paradoxes of relativity and of cosmology are the best discussions of these topicsat the elementary level that I have ever seen. [- Roger A. Freedman, UC Santa Barbara] {I don't why the publisher didn't submit this itself! -CCW}

Rating:
Summary: Best book to "understand" relativity
Review: I read many books about the Twin Paradox and this one clearly explains the trip in detail, including the clock reading when the brother is leaving, turn-around and back from the journey. To me, relativity is truely amazing and this book can describe the true "meaning" of it. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Better material available for free
Review: Not only does this excellent text clearly explain Einstein's theories by offering a less numeri-centric study but it is by no means a watered down study either. The challenge of relativity is left to the ideas and not the equations--though the author does not shy away from explaining the mathematics of the theory with equations and diagrams. The book is also logically organized to facilitate understanding of the sequence of phenomena and research that guided Einstein. If all physics texts were like this one, there would be far more scientists around.

Rating:
Summary: Democratizing relativity
Review: Not only does this excellent text clearly explain Einstein's theories by offering a less numeri-centric study but it is by no means a watered down study either. The challenge of relativity is left to the ideas and not the equations--though the author does not shy away from explaining the mathematics of the theory with equations and diagrams. The book is also logically organized to facilitate understanding of the sequence of phenomena and research that guided Einstein. If all physics texts were like this one, there would be far more scientists around.

Rating:
Summary: Relativity made easy
Review: Yes, there are better books on special relativity. And there are a few places where I'd have explained things a little differently. But I like this book. It is thorough and clear. It doesn't simply tell the reader to work it out for herself or himself, but patiently covers one topic after another in detail. Plenty of, um, time is spent on synchronization of clocks and half-lives of moving muons. The properties of moving meter sticks are discussed at, um, length.

Most relativity books leave it as an exercise for the reader why a signal that could travel just a tiny bit faster than the speed of light would go backwards in time. Not this book, which uses space-time diagrams to explain this very well.

The book goes on to make good use of Loedel diagrams, and uses them to help discuss some relativity "paradoxes." Once again, while other relativity books often leave the solutions to these paradoxes as exercises for the reader, Sartori spends some 35 pages addressing many of them outright.

There are a couple of chapters at the end on General Relativity and Cosmology. While they do not get into much of the formalism of these subjects, I think they are a valuable introduction for those who may be curious about them.

This book sure makes learning special relativity less of a chore. If you are a student who doesn't mind being spoon-fed this material, you should try it.