Bibliothèque de L'IMIST/CNRST

From the Contents: Special Relativity -- The Galilei Transformation -- The Lorentz Transformation -- The Invariance of Quadratic Forms -- Velocity Addition -- Lorentz Transformation of Velocities -- Lorentz Transformation of Impulses -- Acceleration and Force -- Relativistic Electrodynamics -- Energy Momentum Matrix -- General Relativity -- General Relativity and Riemannian Geometry.

This book is an introduction to the theories of Special and General Relativity. The target audience are physicists, engineers and applied scientists who are looking for an understandable introduction to the topic - without too much new mathematics. The fundamental equations of Einsteins theory of Special and General Relativity are derived using matrix calculus, without the help of tensors. This feature makes the book special and a valuable tool for scientists and engineers with no experience in the field of tensor calculus. In part I the foundations of Special Relativity are developed, part II describes the structure and principle of General Relativity. Part III explains the Schwarzschild solution of spherical body gravity and examines the "Black Hole" phenomenon. Any necessary mathematical tools are user friendly provided, either directly in the text or in the appendices.