Title Page
Copyright
Contents
The Conditions of Space and Time
Newton’s Classical Laws of Physics
The Law of Gravity
Maxwell’s Theory of Electromagnetism
Problems in Classical Physics
Puzzle of the Atom
A Major Mystery
The Modern Background
Decisive Events
A Time of Motion
Lorentz Transformations
The Effect of Length Contraction
Time Dilation
Observing Muons
Energy is Mass, Mass Energy
Planck’s Constant h and Quantum Effects
Quantum and Classical Physics
Dirac’s Idea of Anti-Matter
The Michelson-Morley Experiment
Constancy of the Speed of Light
The Problem of Simultaneity
Slicing Spacetime Differently
The Need for General Relativity
Another Viewpoint
Out of the Impasse
Resolving Acceleration
The Building-Blocks of General Relativity
An Infinite Number of Dimensions
A Thought Experiment
Infinity and Configuration Space
Slicing Spacetime
How to View Spacetime
Simultaneity is Relative
Einstein’s Tasks
Suspending Gravity
The Equivalence Principle
Gravitational and Inertial Mass
Extending Newton’s First Law
A Brainteaser
Geodesics
Spacelike, Null, Timelike
Finding the Distance
Geodesics and the Metric
Finding the Metric
The Metric …
The Metric in Four Dimensions
Spacetime Geodesics
Including Time
The Dragon’s Tail
The Missing Ingredient
The Dragon Bites its Tail
Tensors
Einstein’s Field Equations
Types of Curvature
Positive Curvature
Negative Curvature
Triangles in Curved Space
Positively Curved ...
Negatively Curved ...
Intrinsic Curvature
Extrinsic Curvature
Normal Vectors
Spatial Slices
Space and Time vs. Spacetime
Testing GR in Nature
The Bending of Light
The Eclipse
The Equivalence Principle Again
The Best-tested Theory
Black Holes
Time-varying Acceleration
Shaking a Mass
The Rubber-Sheet Analogy
Gravity’s Weakness
Stargazing
Interferometric Observation
How it Works
Interference Patterns
Sizing Up the Universe
The Copernican Principle
Simplifying the Field Equations
“FLRW”
Static or Expanding Universes?
The Fate of the Universe
The Critical Density: First Model
Second Model
Third Model
Explaining Redshift
Einstein’s Static Universe
The Accelerating Universe
Endless Expansion
Negative Pressure
Dark Matter
Beyond General Relativity
The Cosmic Microwave Background
Further Satellite Probes
The Homogeneity Mystery
The “Goldilocks” Expansion Rate
The Flatness Problem
The Inflation Phase
Using Einstein’s Constant
Singularity Theorems
The Result of Singularity Theorems
The Invalidation of Einstein’s Equations
Extra Dimensions
Superstring Theory
Extending Einstein’s Dream
Adding More Dimensions
Further Reading
About the Author and Artist
Acknowledgements
Index