Math 23 Text and Syllabus

Fall 2001


Main Text:

Geometry From a Differential Viewpoint, by John McCleary. Cambridge University Press, 1994. ISBN 0-521-42480-1


Books on Reserve in the Keefe Science Library :

Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries, by Marvin Jay Greenberg
The Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene
The Geometry of Spacetime, by James Callahan
Geometry From a Differential Viewpoint, by John McCleary


On-Line Text Material:

The Light Cone, a web page by Rob Salgado of the Department of Physics at the University of Syracuse. This contains a brief discussion of gravitation, special relativity and general relativity.

Relativity, an article in the Encylopædia Britannica which covers both special and general relativity.

The Principle of Equivalence, a lecture by Clifford Johnson of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Kentucky. This page gives a clear description of Einstein's equivalence principle and explains why gravity bends light.

General Relativity: a very wierd world, a page mantained by Dave Slaven of the Department of Physics at Saginaw Valley State University. This is an English translation of Relativité générale: un monde à la teneur inattendue by Nymbus. It contains an discussion of the rotating disk which will be covered in class.


Syllabus:

The plan is to cover the following chapters from McCleary:

Topics not in McCleary which we will study include:

Finally, if time permits, we will cover the following additional topics from McCleary:


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