Customer Reviews
Clear, well-written and readable introduction to relativity - By: Penn Name, 20 Aug 2006 
Although I knew bits about the theory of relativity, my knowledge was patchy, so I got this book. It's very well-written; given that it's clearly targeted at a lay audience, & includes very little maths, it's about as good a compromise between readability, comprehensibility & completeness as you're likely to get.
That's not to say that it's perfect; although the main principles underlying Special Relativity are derived clearly & logically (and very readably), the author apologises for being unable to cover General Relativity with the same rigour. Apparently, this would require far more in-depth maths.... & let's be honest, if you want a more in-depth tome, you can buy one, but this book succeeds admirably within the given constraints.
Consider it a grounding; there's still plenty of meatin the closing sections, enough (possibly) to motivate you to read some "heavier" books on the subject.
Great book, definitely recommended.
If you are every going to understand relativity.... - By: megamarble, 27 Jan 2006 ...you'll probably get the knowledge from this book. Although the subject matter is not the easiest to understand, the author takes you through a series of steps to the understanding of the general theory of relativity. I would suggest a minimum requirement would need to be a good GCSE/O levelin Physics. Without this i think you would struggle.
Excellently explained the author needs congratulating for making a difficult subject relatively (no pun intended) straightforward.
I recommend it!!
You don't have to be an Einstein to understand Einstein - By: Daniel Jolley, 02 Mar 2005 As this book makes clear, everything is not relative - but I would say that Richard Wolfson's attempt to describe Einstein's theories & their implications is relatively successful. He takes you toward Einsteinian thought one step at a time. First, he gives you a groundingin Newtonian physics, then walks you through Einstein's special theory of relativity, using a number of examples designed to simplify your conceptualization of ideas that tend to go against common sense thinking, & then he attempts to summarize Einstein's general theory of relativity - which, by its nature, is more difficult to expound upon using models & logical examples. Finally, he touches upon some of the implications of the general theory of relativity, giving the reader a quick trek through the notions of black holes, the future of the universe, & other largely astrophysical theories & concepts.
Simply Einstein is written for a layman audience, but it is by no means an easy read. I really believe you have to have at least some affinity with mathematics & logicin order to really grasp what Wolfson is saying. Of course, those with no such affinity will - I feel safe to say - never even think about reading a book such as this. Wolfson works very hard to provide numerous examples of the theories & concepts of Einsteinian thought, but you can't just breeze through these things & expect to have everything click into place automatically; oftentimes, you have to stop, review, & ponder what you have just readin order to truly get a handle on things. Wolfson's examples are, it seems to me, two-edged swords of a kind. If you know absolutely nothing about relativity, they are quite good & certainly helpful. If, however, you already have some familiarity with the space-time paradoxes of Einsteinian thought (the twin paradox, for example, or the space & time "distortions" of near-light speed travel), a few of Wolfson's examples muck up the water, at least temporarily - you basically have to forget what relativity theory you already know & start again from scratchin order to fully grasp what the author is attempting to show with each example.
Wolfson does do a great job demonstrating the significant differences between Newtonian physics & Einsteinian physics (as well as clearing up popular misconceptions about both subjects), & his information on gravity is enlightening & informative. By the time he gets around to stating that gravity is not a force per se, he has built the foundation upon which he can prove why this is the case. Going further, this allows him to offer an excellent explanation of the curvature of space-time owing to the presence of matter or energy throughout the universe.
If you just want to read about black holes & other fascinating aspects of the universe, this isn't the book for you. That kind of discussion is rather protracted here & comes only after a lot of theory has been introduced & describedin some detail. Of course, to truly understand the strangest & most fascinating aspects of our universe, you really do need to have a decent grasp on the general theory of relativity, & this book makes for an excellent introduction to that very subject.
Simply excellent - By: , 01 May 2004 A very thorough introduction that builds up your understandingin easy steps. I will probably read it again!
Relativity....?! - By: TK, 24 Feb 2003 
Einstein & his theory of relativity. It took the genius who was Einstein 19 years (1986-1915) to sort it all out, so is it really possible to compress all the ideas into a 250 page book that I'm going to understand?
Well, yes!
Although I have done A-level physics, I didn't need it. The books easy, conversational language, numerous usefull diagrams, (and a glossary for all those who are unfamiliar with the sciency terms) make its pages accessible for all.
By taking a mainly qualitative approach, the book contains only the smallest amount of maths (or math), & for those who are looking for something to get their hands dirty, there's the appendix!
As well as exploring the ideas behind Einstien's relativity theories, 'Simply Einstien' goes even further. It gives a history of the preceeding events, past theories & experiments helping the reader to see the logic behind Einstiens thinking. Futher exploration of the consequences of relativity begin to extend the readers thinking & understanding of aspects such as the nature of past, present & future, & time & space.
This book discusses ideas that are still at the fore-front of modern physicsin a way that people with a background knowledge will be able to use & apply, while people with just an interest will understand & find fascinating.
Allin all, a good book for all with an interestin simply what relativity actually is, & so consequently space, time, gravity, cosmology & the history behind them all.
