Special Relativity

by Anthony P. French

The education Research Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (formerly the Science Teaching Center) was established to study the process of instruction, aids thereto, and the learning process itself, with special reference to science teaching at the university level. Generous support from the National Science Foundation and from the Kettering, Shell, Victoria, W. T. Grant, and Bing Foundations provided the means for assembling and maintaining an experienced staff to cooperate with members of the Institute's Physics Department in the examination, improvement, and development of physics curriculum materials for students planning a career in the sciences. After careful analysis of objectives and the problems involved, preliminary versions of textbooks were prepared, tested through classroom use at M.I.T. and other institutions, re-evaluated, rewritten, and tried again. Only then were the final manuscripts undertaken. In general the books in the series will be brief. Most may be covered in a single term or less. Each will be available in either cloth or paper binding. Their brevity and structure (as well as their reasonable price) will make it possible for teachers to select topics and organize courses according to individual needs and preferences.

Genres: Physics, Science, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Reference, School

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Tue Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains plenty of physical insights, but is rather long-winded. It has arguably become outdated. Indeed, I have never heard it being mentioned anywhere during my studies. There are a lot of detailed examples taken from experiments. But perhaps these are too detailed and may overwhelm a newcomer with arguably extraneous information. It is more sensible in my opinion to cut out a lot of these in order to focus on the fundamental physics, at least at first. For a more modern introduction to special relativity, see Chapter 12 of "Introduction to Electrodynamics" by David Griffiths.

[Lavender · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to relativity for students of physics.

[David Olmsted · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great mathematical introduction or review of special relativity. I loved A.P. French's "An Introduction into Quantum Physics" and this book is equally good by getting into the heart of the principles and the mathematics.

[Christopher Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic, easy-to-read but very thorough treatment of special relativity. Highly recommended, should be accessible to any mathematically mature college student.