How Einstein created relativity out of physics and astronomy / David R. Topper.
Pubblicazione:
New York : Springer, c2013.
Descrizione fisica:
XV, 254 p. : ill., ritr. ; 25 cm
Serie:
Astrophysics and space science library, 0067-0057 ; 394
Contiene:
Indice: Pt. 1. Genesis: riding a beam of light: 1. Galileo discovers inertia & the relativity of motion 2. Einstein's first famous thought experiment 3. Einstein: from Zürich to Bern & the annus mirabilis 4. Converge, convert & conserve: physics before Einstein. Pt. 2. Special relativity: 5. Einstein 1905: the theory of relativity is born 6. The Michelson-Morley muddle 7. What does the theory predict? 8. From railroad time to space-time 9. 1911: the paradox about time 10. Is the theory true today? Pt. 3. General relativity: 11. Galileo discovers how bodies fall 12. 1907: Einstein's second famous thought experiment 13. Enter, Mach's principle, or Seduced by an idea 14. Einstein's epic intellectual journey: 1907 to 1915 15. 1916: the great summation paper on general relativity 16. 1920: year of fame, year of infamy 17. 1922: what is time? Bergson versus Einstein ... and the Prize 18. 1931: Einstein's first visit to Caltech 19. Is the theory true today? Pt. 4. Cosmology: 20. Cosmological conundrums and discoveries since Newton 21. Einstein 1917: modern cosmology is born 22. Three challenges to Einstein's cosmic model 23. 1931: Caltech again, Einstein meets Hubble 24. Cosmology since 1931: highlights and episodes. Pt. 5. Exodus: quest for a unified field theory: 25. Roots of, and routes toward, unification 26. 1931: Caltech, once more 27. Exit, Mach, or The perils of positivism 28. The quest ... and the quarrel over quanta 29. Legacy: from Pariah to posthumous prophet. Bibliography. Index
