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Preface to the second edition

Bernard Schutz
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Germany
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Summary

In the 23 years between the first edition of this textbook and the present revision, the field of general relativity has blossomed and matured. Upon its solid mathematical foundations have grown a host of applications, some of which were not even imagined in 1985 when the first edition appeared. The study of general relativity has therefore moved from the periphery to the core of the education of a professional theoretical physicist, and more and more undergraduates expect to learn at least the basics of general relativity before they graduate.

My readers have been patient. Students have continued to use the first edition of this book to learn about the mathematical foundations of general relativity, even though it has become seriously out of date on applications such as the astrophysics of black holes, the detection of gravitational waves, and the exploration of the universe. This extensively revised second edition will, I hope, finally bring the book back into balance and give readers a consistent and unified introduction to modern research in classical gravitation.

The first eight chapters have seen little change. Recent references for further reading have been included, and a few sections have been expanded, but in general the geometrical approach to the mathematical foundations of the theory seems to have stood the test of time. By contrast, the final four chapters, which deal with general relativity in the astrophysical arena, have been updated, expanded, and in some cases completely re-written.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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  • Preface to the second edition
  • Bernard Schutz, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Germany
  • Book: A First Course in General Relativity
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984181.001
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  • Preface to the second edition
  • Bernard Schutz, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Germany
  • Book: A First Course in General Relativity
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984181.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface to the second edition
  • Bernard Schutz, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Germany
  • Book: A First Course in General Relativity
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984181.001
Available formats
×