Special and General Relativity

This book provides a concise introduction to the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity. The format has been chosen to provide the basis for a single semester course that can take the students all the way from the foundations of special relativity to the core results of general relativity: the Einstein equation, and the equations of motion for particles and light in curved spacetime. To facilitate access to the topics of special and general relativity for science and engineering students, without prior training in relativity or geometry, the relevant geometric notions are introduced and developed from the ground up. Students in physics, mathematics or engineering with an interest to learn Einstein’s theories of relativity should be able to use this book already in the second semester of their third year. This text might also be used as the basis of a graduate-level introduction to relativity for students who did not learn relativity as part of their undergraduate training.