Introducing Relativity: A Graphic Guide

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It is now more than a century since Einstein's theories of Special and General Relativity began to revolutionize our view of the universe. Beginning near 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. This is a superlative, fascinating graphic account of Einstein's strange world and how his legacy has been built upon since.

Series: Introducing

Paperback: 176 pages

Publisher: Icon Books; Third Edition edition (April 15, 2005)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1848310579

ISBN-13: 978-1848310575

Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.5 x 6.7 inches

Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #467,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #189 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Relativity #237 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Educational & Nonfiction #2333 in Books > Deals in Books

Wow! This is an awesome little book. I love the "Introducing" series but sometimes I find their work a little too basic. Not this time. This is a graphic highway into the mind of Einstein - the 4th dimension, curved space and time...its all here but without the maths...just the ideas. The middle is the hardest, while the last third of the book covers current cosmology and all the latest advances in our understanding of the universe.

I definately agree with the reviewers who say it's difficult, but this was the first and only introducing book I have ready perhaps 8 times. Each time, I walk away with a little bit more. Now I feel ready to actually tackle the real deal and research relatively from the horse's mouth. I highly recommend this book, but if you do read it, be prepared to read it several times before it all sinks in.

I had such high hopes for this little book -- I was a huge science geek in high school, but ever since I felt like my understanding of relativity had gotten fuzzy, and thought that a book that availed itself of graphically rendered explanations would be fun and invaluable.Wrong. With nearly every page, the authors attempt to cram more and more background and knowledge into the pages and cartoons than is humanly possible. Newton. Lorentz. Maxwell. And so on and so forth. A whole slew of physics theories and epic discoveries, boiled down to cutesy but hard to understand illustrations and thought bubbles, none of which make any sense. Oh, and let's just toss a lot of equations in here, throw in Planck's constant without explaining it at all, and just assume that even a fairly well-educated reader can follow along. WTH?Let me just state it clearly. This is a book for people who already understand all the concepts, all the terms, all the forces, and all the equations in it perfectly well. If that is not you, the Wikipedia entry on relativity is far, far clearer and more helpful.It's hard for me to actually throw books in the trash, but this one just went in. I wish I hadn't wasted my time, and I am glad I didn't get other books in this series. I don't want to get more confused about anything else!

Those who know don't talk much and those who do not know talk too much... This book is by no means a treatise in advanced physics but the authors knew the topic and delivered a good to excellent review on the matter. I would strongly recommend this book for a person with an acceptable educational background but without the ambition to become a physicist. It contains some math but not so overwhelmly advanced. I enjoy reading this book very much.

My reading interests have always been wide and varied. Science and philosophy books are two of the many subjects I have loved throughout my life. I just finished reading (Introducing Relativity: A graphic guide by Bruce Bassett and Ralph Edney) an interesting and informative basic guide to relativity. Of fairly recent times there has been an enormous increase in the popularity of these graphic guides. The combination of a clear narrative along with the illustrations has made learning about numerous subjects a pure joy. I have read many of these graphic guides lately and intend to read more in the future. This book goes into great detail on this topic.This 176 page soft cover book explains in surprising depth Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Even though I have read numerous books on the subject, including the one written by Albert Einstein himself, this graphic guide really made the subject come alive. This book points out in the beginning Immanuel Kant, the philosopher (1724-1804) and author of “The Critique of Pure Reason” provided some basic ideas on space and time. Later, the famous and one of the greatest scientists, Newton came up with some of the principle laws of physics. This wonderful book explains with the help of illustrations how these laws apply to a wide variety of situations and how the entire universe is governed by these scientific laws. Albert Einstein’s brilliant mind came up with his “Theory of relativity” in combination with his expertise in mathematics and physics.The mystery of gravity, black holes and other physic related issues is also explored in this volume. If you are interested in relativity and desire a clear basic over view of this topic you should check out this book. I found it an interesting and very informative read.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective combative systems).

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