Publisher's Synopsis
The Special Theory of Relativity (STR) is the physical theory of measurement in inertial frames of reference proposed by Albert Einstein. It is deemed special because the theory or principle of relativity is applied only to inertial frames. In this books, Prof Ghatak sets out and explains the basic physics behind Einstein's theory, and at the same time he gives the reader a concise, enthusiastic overview of Einstein's massive contribution to science and the knowledge of mankind. In 1999, Time Magazine names Albert Einstein as "The Person of the Century". This book tells us why. The introduction deals with a summary of Einstein's work, Chapter One discusses Tiem Dilation and Length Contraction, Chapter Two deals with Mass-energy Relationship and Lorentz Tansformations, and Chapters Three and Four reproduce two of his original ground breaking papers from 1905. "Special Theory of Relativity" can be read by physics and engineering undergraduates as a support text on their courses, but it is of equal interest to readers of general science and fans of Albert Einstein.