General relativity, which lies at
the heart of contemporary physics, has recently become the focus of
a number of lively theoretical, experimental, and computational research
programs. As a result, undergraduates have
become increasingly excited to learn about the subject. A
General Relativity Workbook is a
textbook intended to support a one-semester upper division undergraduate
course on general relativity. Through its unique workbook-based design, it
enables students to develop a solid mastery of both the physics and the
supporting tensor calculus by pushing (and
guiding) them to work through the implications. Each chapter, which is
designed to correspond to one class
session, involves a short overview of the concepts without obscuring derivations
or details, followed by a series of boxes that guide students through the
process of working things out for
themselves. This active-learning approach enables students to develop
a more secure mastery of the material than more
traditional approaches. More than 350 homework
problems support further learning. This
book more strongly emphasizes the physics than many of its competitors, and
while it provides students a full
grounding in the supporting mathematics (unlike
certain
other competitors),
it introduces the mathematics gradually and in a
completely physical context.
Ancillaries




To facilitate self-study, a complimentary Online Student Manual with Hints and Answers for Selected
Problems is available online.
A detailed Instructor's Manual is available
to adopting professors.