Introducing Relativity: A Graphic Guide

Description

It is now more than a century since Einstein's theories of Special and General Relativity began to revolutionise our view of the universe. Beginning with the speed of light and proceeding to explorations of space-time and curved spaces, Introducing Relativity plots a visually accessible course through the thought experiments that have given shape to contemporary physics. Scientists from Newton to Hawking add their unique contributions to this story, as we encounter Einstein's astounding vision of gravity as the curvature of space-time and arrive at the breathtakingly beautiful field equations. Einstein's legacy is reviewed in the most advanced frontiers of physics today: black holes, gravitational waves, the accelerating universe and string theory. A mind-expanding, fascinating graphic account of Einstein's strange world and how his legacy has been built upon since.

Bruce Bassett is a cosmologist and lecturer at the University of Cape Town and the South African Astronomical Observatory. Ralph Edney trained as a mathematician, and has worked as a teacher, journalist, illustrator and political cartoonist. He has illustrated a number of Introducing titles.