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 | It's About Time: |
This readable and complete exposition of the nature of time as addressed in Einstein's special theory of relativity is accessible to readers without training in the sciences. Published on the 100th anniversary of Einstein's famous 1905 paper, it assumes only competency in simple high school algebra and a bit of elementary plane geometry. The premise of the book is that relativity ought to be an important part of everyone's education because it is largely about time, a subject with which all are familiar. The book reveals that some of our most intuitive notions about time are shockingly wrong, and that the real nature of time discovered by Einstein can be rigorously explained without advanced mathematics. The book evolved as Mermin taught the subject to diverse groups of undergraduates at Cornell University, none of them science majors, over three and a half decades. Mermin's approach is imaginative, yet accurate and complete. Clear, lively, and informal, the book will appeal to intellectually curious readers of all kinds, including even professional physicists, who will be intrigued by its highly original approach. N. David Mermin is a theoretical physicist who has worked in solid state physics, low temperature physics, statistical physics, crystallography, and foundations of quantum mechanics. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and won the first Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical society for "his remarkable clarity and wit as a lecturer to nonspecialists on difficult subjects." His books include Solid State Physics, Boojums All the Way Through, and Space and Time in Special Relativity. "Mermin's premise is that everyone should know about relativity in order to understand the real nature of time. . . . What is remarkable in his approach is his reliance on developing the reader's skills to analyze events in more than one frame of reference. This is the key to understanding relativity: being able to translate with ease from one frame of reference (a moving train) to another (a station)."--Simon Mitton, Times Higher Education Supplement "This is a book full of insight with an engaging style. I recommend it to anyone who has to teach the subject to either [non scientists or undergraduate and graduate students]: it's a brilliant basis for a set of lecture notes."--Derek Raine, Nature "It's About Time is a book that should join the very best systematic popular expositions of science written in the last 50 years."--Peter L. Galison, American Scientist "In this highly readable book, Mermin argues that a working knowledge of relativity requires no more than basic algebra and geometry. He makes a valid point. Special relativity is more fundamental, up-to-date and accurate than Newtonian physics, and Einstein's presence in the classroom may inspire the most uninterested student."--Amanda Gefter, New Scientist "There's a profound difference between knowing about something, and knowing it, and Mermin succeeds at instilling the latter."--Gilbert Taylor, Booklist "Mermin has taught relativity for 40 years and has clearly thought about the best way to teach the subject. It's About Time offers a serious, yet accessible approach to relativity."--Kara shane Colley, MAA Reviews Preface: Why Another Relativity Book ix Link:
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