General Relativity: The Theoretical Minimum—What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics

Susskind, a physics professor at Stanford, and Cabannas, a former MIT math professor, offer an overview of Einstein’s theory of general relativity in this survey for specialists, the fourth volume of their Theoretical Minimum series (after Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory). “General relativity has a reputation for being very difficult,” the authors note, and their survey shows why: in 10 dense and detailed “lectures,” they lay out the theory and the math behind it. “Equivalence Principle and Tensor Analysis” is an introduction to the field and breaks down key concepts (the equivalence principle says that “gravity is in some sense the same thing as acceleration”), while “Metric for a Gravitational Field” covers the geometry of space-time. Later sections dive deep into black holes and other matters. The authors assume that readers are familiar with the material outlined in the previous volumes in the series, and are well-versed in “trigonometry, vector spaces, and calculus.” The expository sections are insightful, and detailed formula breakdowns do an impressive job of helping the initiated navigate physics’s most challenging spots. Readers who have followed the series will find this a satisfying addition. (Jan.)