Gravity from the Ground Up: An Introductory Guide to Gravity and General Relativity
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 12/4/2003
EAN 9780521455060, ISBN10: 0521455065
Hardcover, 490 pages, 25.4 x 20.1 x 3 cm
Language: English
This book invites the reader to understand our Universe, not just marvel at it. From the clock-like motions of the planets to the catastrophic collapse of a star into a black hole, gravity controls the Universe. Gravity is central to modern physics, helping to answer the deepest questions about the nature of time, the origin of the Universe and the unification of the forces of nature. Linking key experiments and observations through careful physical reasoning, the author builds the reader's insight step-by-step from simple but profound facts about gravity on Earth to the frontiers of research. Topics covered include the nature of stars and galaxies, the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy, black holes, gravitational waves, inflation and the Big Bang. Suitable for general readers and for undergraduate courses, the treatment uses only high-school level mathematics, supplemented by optional computer programs, to explain the laws of physics governing gravity.
Preface
1. Gravity on Earth
the inescapable force
2. And then came Newton
gravity takes center stage
3. Satellites
what goes up doesn't always come down
4. The Solar System
a triumph for Newtonian gravity
5. Tides and tidal forces
the real signature of gravity
6. Interplanetary travel
the cosmic roller-coaster
7. Atmospheres
keeping planets covered
8. Gravity in the Sun
keeping the heat on
9. Reaching for the stars
the emptiness of outer space
10. The colors of stars
why they are black (bodies)
11. Stars at work
factories for the Universe
12. Birth to death
the life cycle of the stars
13. Binary stars
tidal forces on a huge scale
14. Galaxies
atoms in the Universe
15. Physics near the speed of light
Einstein stands on Galileo's shoulders
16. Relating to Einstein
logic and experiment in relativity
17. Spacetime geometry
finding out what is not relative
18. Einstein's gravity
the curvature of spacetime in the Solar System
19. Einstein's recipe
fashioning the geometry of gravity
20. Neutron stars
laboratories of strong gravity
21. Black holes
gravity's one-way street
22. Gravitational waves
gravity speaks
23. Gravitational lenses
bringing the Universe into focus
24. Cosmology
the study of everything
25. Big Bang
the seed from which we grew
26. Einstein's Universe
the geometry of cosmology
27. Ask the Universe
cosmic questions at the frontiers of gravity
Appendix A. Useful constants
values used in this book
Appendix B. Background
what you need to know before you start.
'A marvellous work! What strikes me is its immense range and its solid authority. For me this will be a great resource of encyclopedic knowledge, powerful models, and balanced judgement about our Universe.' Edwin F. Taylor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology