Relativity: The Special and the General Theory

In Relativity - The Special And the General Theory, Albert Einstein puts forth his revolutionary theories on special and general relativity in a lucid manner.

Summary Of Relativity - The Special And the General Theory

Relativity - The Special And the General Theory is the presentation of Albert Einstein’s theories on general and special relativity in his own words. It speaks from a general philosophical as well as scientific perspective. The special theory provides insight into the structure of space time, while the general theory sheds light on gravitation. These theories yielded shocking results, including the dissolution of time.

The book has an introduction by Nigel Calder, a science writer. Calder walks the reader through the book, dissecting its content section by section. He even suggests sections that can be skipped while reading.

The book is not considered an easy, casual read. It contains several abstract ideas that require patience and concentration for full comprehension. Einstein discusses his illuminating theories, citing numerous examples, and using mathematical calculations that are no more complex than the ones in high school algebra.

The book is considered an important part of modern physics. It discusses how the classical mechanics scenario changed dramatically with the discovery of the theory of relativity. It is meant for readers who appreciate Einstein’s work and are interested in delving into the fascinating elements that form our universe.

Through this book, Einstein sought to simplify his theories for those readers who are interested in the theory, but are not familiar with the mathematical aspects of theoretical physics.

The book was first published in 1916. It was translated to English by Robert W. Lawson in 1920. This particular edition of the book was published in 2011.

About Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist from Germany, and he is often regarded as the Father of Modern Physics for his revolutionary theory of relativity.

He published hundreds of articles and books throughout his career, individually as well as in collaboration with other scientists. His works include The Theory Of Relativity, the Annus Mirabilis papers, Ideas And Opinions, Evolution Of Physics, The Meaning Of Relativity, Fifth Edition: Including the Relativistic Theory of the Non-Symmetric Field, and Out Of My Later Years.

Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, part of the German empire. During his growing years, he showed a talent for mathematics. He completed his secondary schooling from Aargau Cantonal School in Aarau, Switzerland. He then took up a 4-year teaching diploma program in physics and mathematics at ETH Zurich. He travelled across the world, delivering lectures in places like Japan, Singapore, and Palestine. He emigrated to the US in 1933, and got American citizenship in 1940. He took up employment with the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. He received numerous honors and awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physics. He was married twice, first to Mileva Maric, and then to Elsa Lowenthal. He had two sons, Hans and Eduard, from his first marriage, and two adopted stepdaughters, Margot and Ilse, from his second. He died in 1955 due to a case of internal bleeding and subsequent refusal of undergoing surgery.