Gravitation

When my PhD adviser recommended me this classic of general relativity, I was not prepared for the breadth of use that I would find for it! Pouring over pages and pages of this masterpiece, from the foundings of special relativity to the differential geometry that underlies general relativity to the chapters on gravitational waves that portend the era of gravitational wave astronomy we now find ourselves in, you quickly realize that the true beauty of this textbook exists outside its pages. Truly, following the first week of purchase until now (amounting to about two months), I have found that I got my money's worth without ever opening the inky black hard cover of this absolute unit. From its smooth, tactile surface to its brick-like dimensions, I have found so many more uses for Gravitation than I ever gambled for. In the evening, after a long day of drawn-out Zoom calls, Gravitation is the nightstand on which I empty the contents of my pocket or leave other books. Before, my neck would hurt from constantly craning forward to the blue light of my laptop screen. But, with Gravitation, I've found an excellent laptop stand, and my neck hurts no longer. When my wrist hurt from reaching towards that low, low mouse all day, I put the mouse on top of Gravitation and, aghast, found that Misner, Thorne and Wheeler had done it again. This masterful work of theirs healed my ailing wrist. On the occasion I needed to hold my door open, I would find that other textbooks (such as Gravity, by Hartle), never had the disposition to be up for the job. Indeed, the door would simply close anyways, and I would cry, "Why, God? Why haven't you given me a textbook with the sheer mass necessary to hold this door open?" And, I remember that one clear July morning when Gravitation arrived on my doorstep and I felt it in my hands, I knew: my prayers had been answered. Dear friends, I make no higher recommendation than for you to purchase this textbook.

This book is a classic for graduate students or working professors in physics or mathematical physics. It is a comprehensive introduction to the subject. This fine used paperback copy saved me a lot of money!

The authors Misner, Thorne and Wheeler (MTW) produced a tour de force with this book. A must have for anyone with any interest in physics. The book is weighty in accordance with its name. The illustrations and mathematical details and descriptions are brilliant. At this stage I have read a several early chapters and dipped into later chapters of interest. This is a very solid and dense book due to the material, so not a light quick read despite the excellent explanations of the authors. The book Gravitation is frequently referenced by other books so is great to have it on hand to get a good and detailed explanation of any idea you might read elsewhere. The hard cover version of this book, republished by Princeton University Press (October 24, 2017) is excellent and really does justice to the quality of the work.

I bought this book to try and brush up on some of the physics that it's been a while since I took, in order to defend my dissertation in theoretical physics later this spring. This book, in the hardback form will put a dent in your leg if you leave it there too long. I'm a physician, and I remember when I made the mistake of buying the single hard bound version of "Cecil's Textbook of Internal Medicine," and I had to lug that monster everyday all over the campus. I played college football, so it's not like I couldn't handle it, but it was a bit unwieldy. I would love to see a version of this that came in two softcover volumes, but, for me, it's not worth docking it a star over. Otherwise this is a great, user friendly treatise on the subject. I could see reading this book just for the enjoyment of learning the subject better. It's much better than the textbook I used back when dinosaurs stomped on the Terra. Of course there were only 4 planets known at the time, so this book is definitely an upgrade. If you're looking for a way to understand the cosmos better, I've never seen a better book. Later 'taters. dc

A real weighty time, but so clear and well written.

This is the most complete text on general relativity I have seen. It goes into exhaustive detail, which makes it a source for serious students.

- Langue: anglaise - Prérequis: L3/M1 Physique fondamentale, solide bagage mathématique conseillé. - Etat à la réception : impeccable, malgré l'emballage peu précautionneux. - Contenu et lisibilité : édition 2017 impeccable, nouvelle préface indiquant les endroits de l'ouvrage où il faut compléter l'étude par celle d'autres ouvrages plus récents. L'ouvrage sépare son contenu en deux "tracks". Track 1: le contenu est incontournable ; Track 2: contenu complémentaire, à choisir selon les centres d'intérêts de chacun, compréhensibles si tous les Tracks 1 qui le précèdent ont été traités (sauf indication explicite du contraire). Bref c'est la Bible, mais à compléter, bien sûr, par d'autres.

The book appears daunting at first glance, but once you break it down into appropriate sections, it provides a very understandable presentation of general relativity and motivates its concepts effectively. However, a lingering question remains: How much of this theoretical framework is truly open to empirical testing? General relativity defines geodesic motion in a way that makes deviations from it challenging to even consider. Yet, as both a practical measurement tool and a theoretical system, it is fundamentally grounded in a simple principle: We assume local Lorentzian flatness for space and time, measuring geodesic deviation relative to this assumption to establish a more accurate global geodesic throughout the manifold, accounting for the distorting effects of gravitation. The book contains substantial mathematical content, but it also includes informative diagrams and explanatory boxes that reinforce the material. Each section explains the motivation behind relevant equations and their outcomes in plain language. Additionally, the book delves into the historical development of general relativity, featuring quotes from influential figures like Newton, Einstein, Penrose, Hawking, and Dicke. Overall, I found this logical development easier to follow than what I encountered in Penrose’s Road to Reality, although I now have a deeper appreciation for that work as well and may revisit it. The practical significance and application of general relativity are more transparent, rather than obscured by mystifications related to complex numbers. I need other books to explore more in-depth.

Llegó excelente, muy buena edición la de pasta dura

Weighing about 6 pounds, the book is not a light one to be honest. Neither is the subject. But the authors have gone to a great extent to simplify the content for the reader. There are two tracks in the book and newcomers should skip the advanced track and continue with the basic one. The authors do not skip just to the physics but spend considerable portion of the book to build up the mathematical foundations. A lot of GR texts skip this and to be honest and a new reader is left to fend for herself on subtleties of differential geometry. And then of course the book itself is a beautiful thing to own. I read it with white gloves. The cover has a matte finish and the paper is of very high quality. The typography is brilliant! It is such a pleasure to read this book.

This is an excellent text in Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and contains a lot of advanced topics which makes the effort learning GR far more fruitful. The book is separated into two tracks and lots of annotations throughout the book to highlight certain points and what previous knowledge is required before tackling a chapter. It has a unique writing style that took me a while to get use to but I am learning to appreciate it more with each read. Idiosyncratic seems to be the common word to describe the style of writing so I’ll go with that. Nonetheless I can definitely see why this has been a common text used for such a long time (it is a really, really good text). I recommend using this as a supplemental text to Wald’s or Carroll’s book on relativity depending on your level. If you are learning this topic for the first time, A First Course in General Relativity by Schutz is an excellent text to go with this this. If I am not mistaken, I believe Schutz completed his PHD under Kip Thorne but don’t quote me on that. There are some sections out of date (mainly to do with advancements in experimental observations) but which ones are out of date have clearly been highlighted at the beginning of the text in the 2017 re-print. This makes it far easier to know what you are safe to read through and not learn out dated material. The actual physical quality of the book is surprisingly good considering the relatively cheap price. Compare this price to Goldstein’s hardcover Classical Mechanics text and you’ll see it what I mean.