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The Wonderful World of Relativity: A precise guide for the general reader
This book provides a lively and visual introduction to Einstein's theory of relativity. It brings to life the excitement of this fascinating subject, for an audience including young people at school (post-16) and the general public with an interest in modern physics. It is different from existing books in that is uses many diagrams and simple equations (the reader is carefully guided through them), and richly rewards the reader with beautiful mathematical and physical insights. It begins by introducing spacetime, in the familiar context of low velocities. It then shows how Einstein's theory forces us to understand time in a new way. Paradoxes and puzzles are introduced and resolved, and the book culminates in a thorough unfolding of the relation between mass and energy. The book draws on the author's many years of experience in writing articles and reviews for a non-expert readership, and presenting physics to school pupils.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 3, 2026
After all, plenty of human experience does not, on the face of it, make any sense. Early scientists made, by a step of faith, the conjecture that the world will make sense; and we make the same step, because when our studies of physics appear to be contradictory, we do not abandon hope but persevere until we can obtain an insight that makes the contradiction go away (p. 236).
When it comes to rating books, I tend to be an exacting reviewer, judging the book as it is according to objective standards rather than following my own feelings. That said, over the years I have given some books 5 stars because they have in my opinion reached technical perfection. But amongst those, yet fewer have truly and deeply moved me, and I would never have expected that one day a STEM book would be added to that list; not because science in itself is not fascinating, but because almost no competent scientist also knows how to write. But Steane has achieved both. In just above 200 pages, this little book expounds the fundamental principles of Relativity and their implications perspicuously. The language is both interesting and easily accessible, the examples apt, and the explanations thorough without too much technicality. The touch of genius that makes this book special is, however, the evident sense of wonder with which it is written: there's hardly anything more attractive than listening to someone, who alternates between the delirium of excitement and the trance of marvel, talking about his or her favourite subject. And this is exactly the experience of reading this work.
December 27, 2018
The concept of special relativity is explored and used to explain the certain physical phenomena occur such the detection of muons at the Earth's surface. The mathematics is taught well and diagrams are used to help the reader visualise the physical situations.
Many paradoxes are also explored, including the most famous and important; the twin paradox. This paradox allows the reader to touch on the concept of the general theory of relativity.
The equivalence of mass and energy is derived and explained, with an interesting conclusion drawn on the possibilities for space travel.
Many paradoxes are also explored, including the most famous and important; the twin paradox. This paradox allows the reader to touch on the concept of the general theory of relativity.
The equivalence of mass and energy is derived and explained, with an interesting conclusion drawn on the possibilities for space travel.
July 4, 2019
An informative introduction to special relativity and its impact on the world of Physics. Andrew Steane provides a succicnt explanation of each phenomenon of Special Relativity, welcoming the reader to practice and learn through additional puzzles and challenges scattered throughout the book. Although sometimes hard to follow, overall an amazing read for any aspiring physicists.
January 3, 2024
Quite understandable. Got a lot from this.
December 1, 2011
This book has what is possibly the worst cover of any popular science title I've ever seen (even worse than my own Light Years, which is saying something). It's muddy and dark - even the yellow lettering is muted. The illustration is a line drawing apparently by a ten-year-old that is just about visible on the black background. This doesn't bode well, but of course the author isn't responsible for the cover.
Unfortunately, the text is often equally impenetrable. The subtitle is 'a precise guide for the general reader' and the problem here is that there are two words in that sentence that really don't fit well together. If you are going to be precise with a subject like special relativity, you will need to go into more maths than the general reader is comfortable with. Stephen Hawking was famously told that he would half his readership for every equation included - I reckon there are sufficient equations here to take the readership down to one.
It's a shame, because there is the kernel of a good book here. I particularly liked the way Andrew Steane used some of the paradoxes of relativity to explore the subject. These are so good (except where he gets over-precise on us and loses most of us) that I could envisage a whole book just based on the paradoxes. Some, of course, are well worn, but I particularly liked the bug and rivet paradox (see my blog post about it here).
What this looks like is a closeted academic's idea of what the general reader can cope with. You have to admire the author's braveness - but ultimately it is a futile exercise because no one who isn't about to embark on a physics degree would get anywhere with this book.
The title makes this book sounds like a Disney ride, but it's anything but that. In the end it's not a popular science book at all, it's a watered down text book. And that isn't the same thing at all, I'm afraid.
First published on www.popularscience.co.uk - reproduced with permission.
Unfortunately, the text is often equally impenetrable. The subtitle is 'a precise guide for the general reader' and the problem here is that there are two words in that sentence that really don't fit well together. If you are going to be precise with a subject like special relativity, you will need to go into more maths than the general reader is comfortable with. Stephen Hawking was famously told that he would half his readership for every equation included - I reckon there are sufficient equations here to take the readership down to one.
It's a shame, because there is the kernel of a good book here. I particularly liked the way Andrew Steane used some of the paradoxes of relativity to explore the subject. These are so good (except where he gets over-precise on us and loses most of us) that I could envisage a whole book just based on the paradoxes. Some, of course, are well worn, but I particularly liked the bug and rivet paradox (see my blog post about it here).
What this looks like is a closeted academic's idea of what the general reader can cope with. You have to admire the author's braveness - but ultimately it is a futile exercise because no one who isn't about to embark on a physics degree would get anywhere with this book.
The title makes this book sounds like a Disney ride, but it's anything but that. In the end it's not a popular science book at all, it's a watered down text book. And that isn't the same thing at all, I'm afraid.
First published on www.popularscience.co.uk - reproduced with permission.
July 4, 2015
Possibly the best physics book I've read. It definitely didn't shy away from the maths, and I really appreciated the equations and examples of their use, rather than the history book sort of style of a lot of other popular science books. While complex, the author explained things very clearly, without any unnecessary metaphors, and his passion for the subject really came through. Perhaps not for everyone, but I loved it.
March 3, 2016
Very insightful. Another perspective yet again.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews