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Special
Relativity:
A Modern Introduction
by Hans C. Ohanian
Published by
Physics Curriculum & Instruction
255 pages
paperbound
Introductory Course
College Level
ISBN 0-9713134-1-5
Price: $34.95
Solutions Manual available free to
instructor upon textbook adoption |
| About the Book:
Most of the available texts on Special Relativity
leave the impression that they could well have been written a half-century
ago. In contrast, this newly published text presents a modern view of
relativity, including the most recent experimental results. The book
emphasizes that Special Relativity is a theory of the geometry of
spacetime, and accordingly, uses an abundance of spacetime diagrams and
geometrical arguments in explanations and derivations. It presents clear
qualitative explanations of the fundamental concepts and also the
necessary quantitative mathematical details.
It discusses not only the classic experimental tests of Special
Relativity, but also the most recent experimental tests, such as new
measurements of the one-way speed of light. It draws attention to various
practical and engineering applications of Special Relativity, such as GPS,
VLBI, high-voltage X-ray and TV tubes, and medical accelerators.
The first four chapters discuss relativity before and after Einstein – the
Lorentz transformation, time dilation, length contraction, the famous
paradoxes, and relativistic kinematics and dynamics. These four chapters
constitute the core of the book, and by themselves suffice for a brief
introductory course. The next two chapters deal with collisions of
relativistic particles and the implications of relativity for electricity
& magnetism. The final chapter gives a brief survey of the fundamental
ideas of General Relativity.
Additional features include:
• Tables summarizing all the experimental tests
• Worked examples in all chapters
• Nearly 200 chapter-end problems
• Instructor Solutions Manual for all problems
• Extensive guide to further reading |
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Contents |
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1. Relativity in Newtonian Mechanics
and Michelson-Morley Experiment
1.1 Inertial Reference Frames
1.2 Spacetime Diagrams and Worldlines
1.3 The Galilean Transformation
1.4 The Addition of Velocities
1.5 The Wave Theory of Light; The Ether
1.6 The Michelson-Morley Experiment
1.7 Other Recent Experiments
References / Problems
2. Einstein’s Theory and the Lorentz
Transformation
2.1 Einstein’s Principle of Relativity
2.2 The Synchronization of Clocks and
the Relativity of Simultaneity
2.3 The Lorentz Transformation
2.4 The Spacetime Interval
2.5 The Combination of Velocities
2.6 Motion with Constant Acceleration
References / Problems
3. Time Dilation and Length Contraction
3.1 Time Dilation
3.2 The Doppler Shift of Light
3.3 Experiments on Time Dilation and
Doppler Shift
3.4 Length Contraction
3.5 The Twin Paradox
3.6 The Pole and Barn Paradox
References / Problems
4. Relativistic Mechanics
4.1 The Laws of Motion
4.2 Relativistic Momentum
4.3 Relativistic Kinetic Energy
4.4 The Equivalence of Energy and Mass
4.5 The Energy–Momentum Vector;
Particles of Zero Mass
4.6 Motion in Uniform Electric and
Magnetic Fields
References / Problems |
5. Collisions and Conservation of
Energy–Momentum
5.1 Elastic Collisions
5.2 Energy and Momentum of the
Photon; The Compton Effect
5.3 Inelastic Collisions; Nuclear
Collisions and Reactions
5.4 Collisions of Elementary Particles;
The Center of Momentum
5.5 Recoil in Photon Emission;
The Mossbauer Effect
5.6 Relativistic Rocket Motion
References / Problems
6. Electromagnetism and Relativity
6.1 The Electric Field of a Moving Charge
6.2 The Relativistic Transformation of Force
6.3 The Magnetic Force and Field
6.4 The General Transformation Laws
for E and B
6.5 The Electric Field of an Accelerated
Charge
References / Problems
7. General Relativity
7.1 The Universality of the Acceleration of
Free Fall; The Principle of Equivalence
7.2 The Gravitational Time Dilation
7.3 The Bending of Rays of Light
7.4 Curved Spacetime; The Theory of
General Relativity
7.5 Black Holes
References / Problems
Appendix I: Textbooks and Further Reading
Appendix II: Answers to Even– Numbered Problems
Index |
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About the Author:
Hans C. Ohanian received his B.A. from the University of California,
Berkeley, and Ph.D. from Princeton University, where he worked with John
A. Wheeler. He has taught relativity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
at Union College, and most recently, at the Cursos de Verano de la UNED,
Spain. In addition to this book, he has written half a dozen other
textbooks: Physics, Principles of Physics, Principles of
Quantum Mechanics, Modern Physics, Classical Electrodynamics,
and jointly with Remo Ruffini, Gravitation and Spacetime. |
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