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First published in 1922, this book represents the first attempt to popularise the more accessible aspects of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Eschewing the mathematical components that put the theory beyond many people's grasp, the author employs metaphorical examples and thought experiments to convey the fundamental ideas and assertions of one of physics' most famous principles - which remains the accepted description of gravitation more than a century after its first publication. This book will of interest to students of physics as an introductory basis to aid further study.
List of contents
A Prefatorial Dialogue; Easy Lessons in Einstein Contradictory Experiments The Conundrum of the Ages Paradoxes of Relativity Are You Sure of Your Shape Introducing the Fourth Dimension Time as the Fourth Dimension A Worm’s-Eye-View Turning Time Backward The Metaphysics of the Movies The Egocentric Theory of the Universe Non-Euclidean Geometry Some Simple Examples The Eclipse Observations Who is Einstein? How to Lose Weight A Substitute for Gravity Mechanical Versus Mathematical Minds The Weight of Light Mutable Theories and Stable Facts Scientific Versus Legal Laws Time, Space, and Gravitation; Works on Einstein Theory
About the author
Edwin Emery Slosson was an American magazine editor, author, journalist and chemist. He was the first head of Science Service, and a notable popularizer of science.
Summary
First published in 1922, this book represents the first attempt to popularise the more accessible aspects of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Eschewing the mathematical components that put the theory beyond many people’s grasp, the author employs metaphorical examples and thought experiments to convey the fundamental ideas.
