Gravitation (Physics Series)
By Kip S. Thorne, Charles W. Misner, John Archibald Wheeler, John Wheeler, Kip Thorne,
* Publisher: W. H. Freeman
* Number Of Pages: 1215
* Publication Date: 1973-09-15
* Sales Rank: 236517
* ISBN / ASIN: 0716703440
* EAN: 9780716703440
* Binding: Paperback
* Manufacturer: W. H. Freeman
* Studio: W. H. Freeman
* Average Rating: 4.5
* Total Reviews: 38
Date: 2007-05-19 Rating: 5
Review:
Amazing - Not for beginners
As a child I used to ask my father "Does space go on forever? And if it doesn't, what is on the otherside??' My father of course had no idea. It has since been a subtle quest of mine to fine answers to these questions. I, as well as every person on this planet, have heard Einstein's name thousands of times while growing up. He is a legend; having been dead for several decades still his face is on a poster in every mathematics room I've ever entered.
But, though I've known his name since I was 3, I did not learn what it was that made him so special, or what E=MC^2 means until I was 18 years old. In my opinion, special and general relativity should be taught to every preschooler until this aspect of the universe BECOMES intuitive.
Anyways, to the book. Having only a small background in calculus (Calc I, II and multivariable calculus) and having never taken an advanced physics class past newtonian mechanics with calculus applications, I do not have the skills necessary to decipher this book - but I do not intend to put it down until I have deciphered it and understand every bit of it.
In order to learn this book, one MUST have mastered differential calculus (differential equations); without it you will find yourself lost. Also, a background in Relativity is a must. A small background will get you by - read The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. And then you may tackle this beast. If you complete this book, you may consider yourself one of maybe half a percent of the world who truely understands Einstein's amazing accomplishments and you will understand why it is that his face is the face you have come to know as the stereotypical mad scientist.
http://ifile.it/6bx0vg/misner_thorne_wheeler_-_gravitation.djvu
