Relativity...

[catulle]

During the past few months I've been reading Isaacson's Einstein. I read a few pages and try to get it fully; then I set that book down and read other books and eventually get back to it.

Presently I'm at the 1905 period, which is at the crux of Einstein's work on relativity. And I'm having a hell of a time really getting it.

Would any of you superior intellects provide this idiot with a Relativity for Idiots interpretation of the subject matter. :confused:

Thank you kindly.

[jvp]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/relativity/

[davids]

I had a similar epiphany when reading Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" - I'd truly understand relativity as I read his descriptions, and it would then fade as I tried to share my new insight with my wife...

Keep hammering it in. Some of it will stick. It's all about time being elastic, and the whole d@mn thing being mind-bendingly paradoxical.

The universe is so much stranger than we experience it.

[mschol17]

Special relativity:
There are coordinate frames where unaccelerated objects move at a constant velocity. These are called inertial frames. The laws of physics are the same in any inertial frame, regardless of position or velocity. Therefore, there is no universal inertial frame by which absolute space and time measurements can be defined; only relative measurements are valid. The speed of light, c, is a constant in all frames.
These two points cause observers in different reference frames to perceive space and time (and mass and energy) differently.

The impact of the theory scales with respect to the speed of light, so for most velocities it is inconsequential.

[dave thompson]

During the past few months I've been reading Isaacson's Einstein. I read a few pages and try to get it fully; then I set that book down and read other books and eventually get back to it.

Presently I'm at the 1905 period, which is at the crux of Einstein's work on relativity. And I'm having a hell of a time really getting it.

Would any of you superior intellects provide this idiot with a Relativity for Idiots interpretation of the subject matter. :confused:

Thank you kindly.
Which relativity? Time? Mass/energy?

[scrooge]

I thought I was starting to get it when I read the book this winter--but since I have no idea how to explain it, I apparenlty didn't...

[sc53]

I think I've actually seen an "Idiot's Guide to Relativity" somewhere--how about this?
http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Dummies-Math-Science/dp/0764583484/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208790014&sr=1-36

or this?
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Understanding-Einstein-Second/dp/1592571859/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208790280&sr=1-6

[Fixed]

http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/relativity_worldbook.html
cheers

[BumpyintheBurgh]

I thought the movie was better than the book but the subject sure is popular today with all of those "realitivity" shows on TV.

[gasman]

Stick with it. i found reading several authors explain it in different ways is helpful Two authors that have written on the subject are Brian Greene (The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of Spacetime) another on I have enjoyed is Lisa Randall's Warped Passages. There are several other authors like Timothy Ferris that make the subject understandable to us mortals who will never understand the math behind the science.

I have a good laymans understanding but only after a lot of reading over many years.

[catulle]

Mmmm, thank you, guys... I'll keep at it.

[Too Tall]

MSCHO17, where those your words? EXCELLENT. Thanks, I enjoy plain speaking...that is an excellent description.

[catulle]

MSCHO17, where those your words? EXCELLENT. Thanks, I enjoy plain speaking...that is an excellent description.

Joshua is wise beyond his years... and height. Er, I just got the skull and bones message; maybe we'll be able to understand soon.

PS- A piece of wisdom from a friend who tandems in Alexandria, VA. : Remember, whatever direction your relationship is going, it will get there faster on a tandem.

[shinomaster]

During the past few months I've been reading Isaacson's Einstein. I read a few pages and try to get it fully; then I set that book down and read other books and eventually get back to it.

Presently I'm at the 1905 period, which is at the crux of Einstein's work on relativity. And I'm having a hell of a time really getting it.

Would any of you superior intellects provide this idiot with a Relativity for Idiots interpretation of the subject matter. :confused:

Thank you kindly.


Don't even try to figure it out while you're alive. Wait till you're dead.

[goonster]

for most velocities it is inconsequential.

Unless you are an astronomer or theoretical physicist, that's pretty much the last word.

More interesting, atmo: chaos theory. Get to know the fish in your pond, and why their numbers in any given year may be counterintuitive, yet still not random.

[catulle]

Unless you are an astronomer or theoretical physicist, that's pretty much the last word.

More interesting, atmo: chaos theory. Get to know the fish in your pond, and why their numbers in any given year may be counterintuitive, yet still not random.


Like random particles that travel in the form of ray...? And regarding fish, well, it all depends if you're talking about halibut, atmo. I know, I read it in my Zen book.

[zank]

There's lots of great discussion here...
http://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Brian Greene's text The Fabric of the Cosmos (http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803252&sr=1-1) really helped me get my arms around Space-Time, Relativity and String Theory. Relativity Demystified (http://www.amazon.com/Relativity-Demystified-David-McMahon/dp/0071455450/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803123&sr=1-1) by David McMahon is another great self-teaching guide. He also has Quantum Mechanics Demystified if you are so inclined. I liked both. Finally, Kip Thorne is a fantastic author and teacher. Black Holes and Time Warps (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Holes-Time-Warps-Commonwealth/dp/0393312763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803059&sr=8-1) is a fun read that ties Einstein's theories to the discovery of celestial bodies.

My only advice is read it over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's what it took for me. :D

[catulle]

There's lots of great discussion here...
http://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Brian Greene's text The Fabric of the Cosmos really helped me get my arms around Space-Time, Relativity and String Theory. Relativity Demystified by David McMahon is another great self-teaching guide. He also has Quantum Mechanics Demystified if you are so inclined. I liked both. Finally, Kip Thorne is a fantastic author and teacher. Black Holes and Time Warps is a fun read that ties Einstein's theories to the discovery of celestial bodies.

My only advice is read it over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's what it took for me. :D

Thank you so much. I'm on my way to Amazon.

[zank]

I just updated my post above with Amazon links. Have fun!

[Fixed]

Brian Greene's text The Fabric of the Cosmos
string theories
cheers

[catulle]

Just got Greene's and McMahon's. Thank you...!!

[zank]

Enjoy. Let us know how it goes.

[gasman]

Unless you are an astronomer or theoretical physicist, that's pretty much the last word.

More interesting, atmo: chaos theory. Get to know the fish in your pond, and why their numbers in any given year may be counterintuitive, yet still not random.

Actually GPSs take into account relativity to maintain their accuracy.

[BumpyintheBurgh]

There's lots of great discussion here...
http://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Brian Greene's text The Fabric of the Cosmos (http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803252&sr=1-1) really helped me get my arms around Space-Time, Relativity and String Theory. Relativity Demystified (http://www.amazon.com/Relativity-Demystified-David-McMahon/dp/0071455450/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803123&sr=1-1) by David McMahon is another great self-teaching guide. He also has Quantum Mechanics Demystified if you are so inclined. I liked both. Finally, Kip Thorne is a fantastic author and teacher. Black Holes and Time Warps (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Holes-Time-Warps-Commonwealth/dp/0393312763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803059&sr=8-1) is a fun read that ties Einstein's theories to the discovery of celestial bodies.

My only advice is read it over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's what it took for me. :D

You forgot the most important book.
Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.
Definitely a must read for all us deep tinkerers.
Over and over and over.

[davids]

There's lots of great discussion here...
http://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Brian Greene's text The Fabric of the Cosmos (http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803252&sr=1-1) really helped me get my arms around Space-Time, Relativity and String Theory. Relativity Demystified (http://www.amazon.com/Relativity-Demystified-David-McMahon/dp/0071455450/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803123&sr=1-1) by David McMahon is another great self-teaching guide. He also has Quantum Mechanics Demystified if you are so inclined. I liked both. Finally, Kip Thorne is a fantastic author and teacher. Black Holes and Time Warps (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Holes-Time-Warps-Commonwealth/dp/0393312763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208803059&sr=8-1) is a fun read that ties Einstein's theories to the discovery of celestial bodies.

My only advice is read it over and over and over and over and over. Well, that's what it took for me. :DThanks Zanc. I need some science reading to balance my religious syllabus and Dom DeLillo...