One of the clearest, most entertaining introductions to the subject ever written offers lucid explanations of not only the special and general theories of relativity, but also of the Michelson-Morley experiment, gravity, and spacetime, Mach's principle, the twin paradox, models of the universe and ot... read more
Relativity in Illustrations by Jacob T. Schwartz Clear, nontechnical treatment makes principles of relativity more accessible than ever. The author gradually introduces Einstein's ideas in terms of familiar concepts from high school-level geometry. More than 60 helpful drawings.
Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein The great physicist's own explanation of relativity, written for readers unfamiliar with theoretical physics, outlines the special and general theories and presents the ideas in their simplest, most intelligible form.
Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction by Morton D. Davis This fascinating, newly revised edition offers an overview of game theory, plus lucid coverage of two-person zero-sum game with equilibrium points; general, two-person zero-sum game; utility theory; and other topics.
Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory by George Gamow Lucid, accessible introduction to the influential theory of energy and matter features careful explanations of Dirac's anti-particles, Bohr's model of the atom, and much more. Numerous drawings. 1966 edition.
Sundials: Their Theory and Construction by Albert Waugh A rigorous appraisal of sundial science includes mathematical treatment and pertinent astronomical background, plus a nontechnical treatment so simple that several of the dials can be built by children. 106 illustrations.
Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science by Martin Gardner Fair, witty appraisal of cranks, quacks, and quackeries of science and pseudoscience: hollow earth, Velikovsky, orgone energy, Dianetics, flying saucers, Bridey Murphy, food and medical fads, and much more.
The History of the Calculus and Its Conceptual Development by Carl B. Boyer Fluent description of the development of both the integral and differential calculus — its early beginnings in antiquity, medieval contributions, and a consideration of Newton and Leibniz.
The Universe and Dr. Einstein by Lincoln Barnett "The main ideas of the theory of relativity are extremely well presented," declared Albert Einstein in his foreword to this clear and readable exposition. 1957 edition.
Elements of Relativity Theory by D. F. Lawden The basic concepts of relativity theory are conveyed through worked and unworked examples in this text, which requires only elementary algebra and emphasizes physical principles and concepts. 1985 edition.
Stars and Relativity by Ya. B. Zel’dovich, I. D. Novikov Two of the greatest astrophysicists of the 20th century explore general relativity, properties of matter under astrophysical conditions, stars, and stellar systems. A valuable resource for physicists, astronomers, graduate students. 1971 edition.
The Strange Story of the Quantum by Banesh Hoffmann Timeless exploration of the work of the great physicists of the early 20th century offers an accessible introduction to Pauli's exclusion principle, Schroedinger's wave equation, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, more. 1959 edition.
Geometry and Light: The Science of Invisibility by Ulf Leonhardt, Thomas Philbin Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of engineering, physics, and mathematics and scientific researchers of all types, this is the first authoritative text on invisibility and the science behind it. More than 100 full-color illustrations, plus exercises with solutions. 2010 edition.
Sidelights on Relativity by Albert Einstein Two influential essays: "Ether and Relativity" (1920) discusses its subjects' related properties; "Geometry and Experience" (1921) describes Euclidean or other geometric systems in connection with the concept of a finite universe.
Cosmology by Hermann Bondi A co-developer of the steady-state theory explores his conception of the expanding universe. This historic book was among the first to present cosmology as a separate branch of physics. 1961 edition.
Mind-Boggling Word Puzzles by Martin Gardner, V.G. Myers A famous puzzlemeister presents 103 perplexing brainteasers, anagrams, and rebus and logic puzzles. There are clues — and humor — in the 69 whimsical illustrations, plus solutions for anyone who gets stumped.
Mental Magic: Surefire Tricks to Amaze Your Friends by Martin Gardner, Jeff Sinclair Professor Picanumba has dozens of surefire tricks up his sleeve — and he's willing to show junior mathemagicians how to predict the answers to 88 word and number challenges. Includes solutions and illustrations.
The Unity of the Universe by D. W. Sciama This accessible approach uses compelling photos, figures, and examples to address and answer profound questions about the universe. "An engrossing book, an invigorating intellectual exercise." — Scientific American. 1959 edition.
Einstein's Essays in Science by Albert Einstein, Alan Harris Speeches and essays in accessible, everyday language profile influential physicists such as Niels Bohr and Isaac Newton. They also explore areas of physics to which the author made major contributions.
Beyond Geometry: Classic Papers from Riemann to Einstein by Peter Pesic This is the only English-language collection of these 8 accessible essays. They trace seminal ideas about the foundations of geometry that led to Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Mathematical Physics: A Popular Introduction by Francis Bitter Reader-friendly guide offers illustrative examples of the rules of physical science and how they were formulated. Direct, nontechnical terms explain methods of fact gathering, analysis, and experimentation. 60 figures. 1963 edition.
One Two Three . . . Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science by George Gamow Over 120 delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by the author add another dimension of good-natured charm to these wide-ranging explorations. A mind-expanding volume for the layman and the science-minded.
The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein, Francis A. Davis Eleven papers that forged the general and special theories of relativity include seven papers by Einstein, two by Lorentz, and one each by Minkowski and Weyl. 1923 edition.
Product Description:
One of the clearest, most entertaining introductions to the subject ever written offers lucid explanations of not only the special and general theories of relativity, but also of the Michelson-Morley experiment, gravity, and spacetime, Mach's principle, the twin paradox, models of the universe and other topics. 100 illustrations.
The worldwide mathematical community was saddened by the death of Martin Gardner on May 22, 2010. Martin was 95 years old when he died, and had written 70 or 80 books during his long lifetime as an author. Martin's first Dover books were published in 1956 and 1957: Mathematics, Magic and Mystery, one of the first popular books on the intellectual excitement of mathematics to reach a wide audience, and Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, certainly one of the first popular books to cast a devastatingly skeptical eye on the claims of pseudoscience and the many guises in which the modern world has given rise to it. Both of these pioneering books are still in print with Dover today along with more than a dozen other titles of Martin's books. They run the gamut from his elementary Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing, which has been enjoyed by generations of younger readers since the 1980s, to the more demanding The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings, which Dover published in its final revised form in 2005.
To those of us who have been associated with Dover for a long time, however, Martin was more than an author, albeit a remarkably popular and successful one. As a member of the small group of long-time advisors and consultants, which included NYU's Morris Kline in mathematics, Harvard's I. Bernard Cohen in the history of science, and MIT's J. P. Den Hartog in engineering, Martin's advice and editorial suggestions in the formative 1950s helped to define the Dover publishing program and give it the point of view which — despite many changes, new directions, and the consequences of evolution — continues to be operative today. In the Author's Own Words: "Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs."
"A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful?" — Martin Gardner
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