EINSTEIN'S GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY

Einstein's general theory of relativity can be a notoriously difficult subject for students approaching it for the first time, with arcane mathematical concepts such as connection coefficients and tensors adorned with a forest of indices. This book is an elementary introduction to Einstein's theory and the physics of curved space-times that avoids these complications as much as possible. Its first half describes the physics of black holes, gravitational waves and the expanding Universe, without using tensors. Only in the second half are Einstein's field equations derived and used to explain the dynamical evolution of the early Universe and the creation of the first elements. Each chapter concludes with problem sets and technical mathematical details are given in the appendices. This short text is intended for undergraduate physics students who have taken courses in special relativity and advanced mechanics.

A short introduction to some of the key ideas of general relativity in simple terms giving the reader a good grounding in the principles of relativity in less than 200 pages of text
The self-contained first part provides an easier entry-point to the physics of black holes and the expanding Universe, using only variational principles in mechanics
Up to date data on cosmology and gravitational waves included, giving insights into the exciting recent developments in general relativity and gravitational waves