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Book by David Michalets
I could not find an English translation of the original text for the Theory of Special Relativity written by Einstein in 1905.
Einstein's 1920 book is a better resource for a review of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Special and General because in his book, Einstein provides useful details about several of his theories, including light and space-time, and what he had learned of cosmology by 1920.
I will shorten Einstein's Book On Relativity as EBOR.
This review is a set of web pages where my remarks are inserted after the original text, after each section in EBOR.
An (original) line precedes original content from the source. whose link is below.
A (remark) line precedes my remark from my review of the preceding original content.
My remarks apply to only one section, at a time.
In the table of CONTENTS, click on the link to a section number, I to XXXIII, plus two that I added to the table, to view that section.
I added section title XXXIII because the original document assigned no section number to a set of APPENDICES at the end of EBOR. They ere simply at the end, and not in the table of contents. The individual appendices were numbered consecutively, starting with I, causing possible confusion.
This new section XXXIII is not a change to the original, but improves it for this presentation using a single web page for each major section.
I also added 2 sections with my content.
1) I added a new section for BACKGROUND, to provide some reference material about some of the terms being used by Einstein.
2) I added a new section FINAL CONCLUSION, to summarize the conclusions from my analysis of this book written by a famous icon in modern physics.
At the end of each section, there is a link to this table of contents, to select the next section to view.
Go to Table of Contents, to read a specific section.
I reviewed an on-line copy of:
(original)
Book: Relativity: The Special and General Theory
Author: Albert Einstein, 1879–1955
First published: 1920
The original book is in the public domain in the United States. However, since Einstein died in 1955, it may still be under copyright in many other countries, for xample, those that use the life of the author + 60 years or life + 70 years for the duration of copyright.
This review of Einstein's book is based on a copy of the original book, created by José Menéndez.
(remark)
Reference to the book's translation: for this review
https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Einstein/Einstein_Relativity.pdf
(original)
NOTE ON THE TEXT
The text used in this ebook is from the first English translation, published in 1920, of Über die spezielle und die allgemeine Relativitätstheorie. A few misprints in the original text have been corrected,
RELATIVITY
THE SPECIAL AND GENERAL THEORY
BY
ALBERT EINSTEIN, Ph.D.
PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
TRANSLATED BY
ROBERT W. LAWSON, M.Sc.
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
NEW YORK
PREFACE
THE present book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. The work presumes a standard of education corresponding to that of a university matriculation examination, and, despite the shortness of the book, a fair amount of patience and force of will on the part of the reader.
The author has spared himself no pains in his endeavour to present the main ideas in the simplest and most intelligible form, and on the whole, in the sequence and connection in which they actually originated. In the interest of clearness, it appeared to me inevitable that I should repeat myself frequently, without paying the slightest attention to the elegance of the presentation. I adhered scrupulously to the precept of that brilliant theoretical physicist, L. Boltzmann, according to whom matters of elegance ought to be left to the tailor and to the cobbler. I make no pretence of having withheld from the reader difficulties which are inherent to the subject. On the other hand, I have purposely treated the empirical physical foundations of the theory in a "step-motherly" fashion, so that readers unfamiliar with physics may not feel like the wanderer who was unable to see the forest for trees. May the book bring some one a few happy hours of suggestive thought!
A. EINSTEIN
December, 1916
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
(begin excerpt)
Appendix III, on "The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity," has been written specially for this translation.
(end excerpt)
(remark)
Other text from the translator was deleted, including an Einstein biographical note; that content from others is not relevant to this review of Einstein's work, but the timing of Appendix III is relevant.
This review is a set of web pages where my remarks are inserted after the original text, after each section in EBOR.
The original document identified individual chapters or sections having a Roman numeral from I to XXXII.
Each section in the original has a web page in this review of the original content.
An (original) line precedes original content from the source. whose link was above.
A (remark) line precedes my remark from my review oft the preceding original content.
My remarks apply to only one section, or that section's web page, at a time.
I added 2 sections to the table of CONTENTS, one at the atart, and the other at the end.
In the table of CONTENTS, click on the link to a section number,like from I to XXXIIII, to view that section and its review with my remarks.
At the end of each section, there is a link to this table of contents, to select the next section to view.
CONTENTS
Background (my content, not from book)
PART I
THE SPECIAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY
I. Physical Meaning of Geometrical Propositions
II. The System of Co-ordinates
III. Space and Time in Classical Mechanics
IV. The Galileian System of Co-ordinates
V. The Principle of Relativity (in the Restricted Sense)
VI. The Theorem of the Addition of Velocities employed in Classical Mechanics
VII. The Apparent Incompatibility of the Law of Propagation of Light with the Principle of Relativity
VIII. On the Idea of Time in Physics
IX. The Relativity of Simultaneity
X. On the Relativity of the Conception of Distance
XI. The Lorentz Transformation
XII. The Behaviour of Measuring-Rods and Clocks in Motion
XIII. Theorem of the Addition of Velocities. The Experiment of Fizeau
XIV. The Heuristic Value of the Theory of Relativity
XV. General Results of the Theory
XVI. Experience and the Special Theory of Relativity
XVII. Minkowski's Four-dimensional Space
PART II
THE GENERAL THEORY OF RELATIVITY
XVIII. Special and General Principle of Relativity
XIX. The Gravitational Field
XX. The Equality of Inertial and Gravitational Mass as an Argument for the General Postulate of Relativity
XXI. In what Respects are the Foundations of Classical Mechanics and of the Special Theory of Relativity unsatisfactory?
XXII. A Few Inferences from the General Theory of Relativity
XXIII. Behaviour of Clocks and Measuring-Rods on a Rotating Body of Reference
XXIV. Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Continuum
XXV. Gaussian Co-ordinates
XXVI. The Space-time Continuum of the Special Theory of Relativity considered as a Euclidean Continuum
XXVII. The Space-time Continuum of the General Theory of Relativity is not a Euclidean Continuum
XXVIII. Exact Formulation of the General Principle of Relativity
XXIX. The Solution of the Problem of Gravitation on the Basis of the General Principle of Relativity
PART III
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE UNIVERSE AS A WHOLE
XXX. Cosmological Difficulties of Newton's Theory
XXXI. The Possibility of a "Finite" and yet "Unbounded" Universe
XXXII. The Structure of Space according to the General Theory of Relativity
XXXIII. APPENDICES
I. Simple Derivation of the Lorentz Transformation
II. Minkowski's Four-dimensional Space ("World")
[Supplementary to Section XVII.]
III. The Experimental Confirmation of the General Theory of Relativity
(a) Motion of the Perihelion of Mercury
(b) Deflection of Light by a Gravitational Field
(c) Displacement of Spectral Lines towards the Red
BIBLIOGRAPHY( this is not part of review; check original source, using link provided, above)
INDEX (this is not part of review)
Final Conclusion ( summary of my review)
Go to Table of Contents, to read a specific section.
last change 05/03/2022