Princeton University Press Gravitation

This is one of the most comprehensive physics books I have ever read. Taking into account its price it is also a good value. It touches many subjects and explains them in detail. Of course, not every topic is up-to-date but this is not a big problem. It is certainly worth reading.

- Langue: anglaise - Prérequis: L3/M1 Physique fondamentale, solide bagage mathématique conseillé. - Etat à la réception : impeccable, malgré l'emballage peu précautionneux. - Contenu et lisibilité : édition 2017 impeccable, nouvelle préface indiquant les endroits de l'ouvrage où il faut compléter l'étude par celle d'autres ouvrages plus récents. L'ouvrage sépare son contenu en deux "tracks". Track 1: le contenu est incontournable ; Track 2: contenu complémentaire, à choisir selon les centres d'intérêts de chacun, compréhensibles si tous les Tracks 1 qui le précèdent ont été traités (sauf indication explicite du contraire). Bref c'est la Bible, mais à compléter, bien sûr, par d'autres.

The book appears daunting at first glance, but once you break it down into appropriate sections, it provides a very understandable presentation of general relativity and motivates its concepts effectively. However, a lingering question remains: How much of this theoretical framework is truly open to empirical testing? General relativity defines geodesic motion in a way that makes deviations from it challenging to even consider. Yet, as both a practical measurement tool and a theoretical system, it is fundamentally grounded in a simple principle: We assume local Lorentzian flatness for space and time, measuring geodesic deviation relative to this assumption to establish a more accurate global geodesic throughout the manifold, accounting for the distorting effects of gravitation. The book contains substantial mathematical content, but it also includes informative diagrams and explanatory boxes that reinforce the material. Each section explains the motivation behind relevant equations and their outcomes in plain language. Additionally, the book delves into the historical development of general relativity, featuring quotes from influential figures like Newton, Einstein, Penrose, Hawking, and Dicke. Overall, I found this logical development easier to follow than what I encountered in Penrose’s Road to Reality, although I now have a deeper appreciation for that work as well and may revisit it. The practical significance and application of general relativity are more transparent, rather than obscured by mystifications related to complex numbers. I need other books to explore more in-depth.

Weighing about 6 pounds, the book is not a light one to be honest. Neither is the subject. But the authors have gone to a great extent to simplify the content for the reader. There are two tracks in the book and newcomers should skip the advanced track and continue with the basic one. The authors do not skip just to the physics but spend considerable portion of the book to build up the mathematical foundations. A lot of GR texts skip this and to be honest and a new reader is left to fend for herself on subtleties of differential geometry. And then of course the book itself is a beautiful thing to own. I read it with white gloves. The cover has a matte finish and the paper is of very high quality. The typography is brilliant! It is such a pleasure to read this book.

This is an excellent text in Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and contains a lot of advanced topics which makes the effort learning GR far more fruitful. The book is separated into two tracks and lots of annotations throughout the book to highlight certain points and what previous knowledge is required before tackling a chapter. It has a unique writing style that took me a while to get use to but I am learning to appreciate it more with each read. Idiosyncratic seems to be the common word to describe the style of writing so I’ll go with that. Nonetheless I can definitely see why this has been a common text used for such a long time (it is a really, really good text). I recommend using this as a supplemental text to Wald’s or Carroll’s book on relativity depending on your level. If you are learning this topic for the first time, A First Course in General Relativity by Schutz is an excellent text to go with this this. If I am not mistaken, I believe Schutz completed his PHD under Kip Thorne but don’t quote me on that. There are some sections out of date (mainly to do with advancements in experimental observations) but which ones are out of date have clearly been highlighted at the beginning of the text in the 2017 re-print. This makes it far easier to know what you are safe to read through and not learn out dated material. The actual physical quality of the book is surprisingly good considering the relatively cheap price. Compare this price to Goldstein’s hardcover Classical Mechanics text and you’ll see it what I mean.