General Relativity

The latest volume in The New York Times bestselling physics series explains Einstein’s masterpiece: the general theory of relativity

He taught us classical mechanics, quantum mechanics and special relativity. Now, physicist Leonard Susskind, assisted by a new collaborator, André Cabannes, returns to tackle Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Starting from the equivalence principle and covering the necessary mathematics of Riemannian spaces and tensor calculus, Susskind and Cabannes explain the link between gravity and geometry. They delve into black holes, establish Einstein field equations and solve them to describe gravity waves. The authors provide vivid explanations that, to borrow a phrase from Einstein himself, are as simple as possible (but no simpler).

An approachable yet rigorous introduction to one of the most important topics in physics, General Relativity is a must-read for anyone who wants a deeper knowledge of the universe’s real structure.

Table of Contents

Lecture 2: Tensor Mathematics

Lecture 3: Flatness and Curvature

Lecture 4: Geodesics and Gravity

Lecture 5: Metric for a Gravitational Field

Lecture 6: Black Holes

Lecture 7: Falling into a Black Hole

Lecture 8: Formation of a Black Hole

Lecture 9: Einstein Field Equations

Lecture 10: Gravitational Waves

About the Authors

Leonard Susskind has been the Felix Bloch Professor in Theoretical Physics at Stanford University since 1978, and his online lectures are viewed all around the world. One of the fathers of string theory, he is the author of The Black Hole War and The Cosmic Landscape.

André Cabannes taught mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and translated the Theoretical Minimum series into French. He lives in France.