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- Author: Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, John Archibald Wheeler
- Title: Gravitation
- Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0716703440/?tag=pfamazon01-20
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WannabeNewton said:I must agree with PAllen on this one: I tried more than once but this book is just all over the place and a pedagogical mess. It is a horrible medium for learning the subject; it serves better as a reference text. There are many GR books out there that are far more elegant in the exposition and imbued with modern differential geometry (Wald for example).
Yes it seems the book holds a lot of sentimental value for many people which is a great thing. There may be people with a certain mindset about physics who would find MTW better but I personally like books that are more mathematical / abstract when it comes to physics topics that allow such abstraction. It is still a great reference tome though as I think you would agree.jedishrfu said:I don't disagree, my vote for strongly agree is based on sentimental values and I wish I were in school today instead of work where they expect results.
The book also had a novel tracks scheme so that you could cover a core level and then go thru the book again at a more advanced level which was quite novel at the time.
WannabeNewton said:Yes it seems the book holds a lot of sentimental value for many people which is a great thing. There may be people with a certain mindset about physics who would find MTW better but I personally like books that are more mathematical / abstract when it comes to physics topics that allow such abstraction. It is still a great reference tome though as I think you would agree.
MathematicalPhysicist said:BTW, does someone know if all the problems in this MTW book were completely solved, and in case that they were, do you happen to know where may I find this complete solutions manual?
MathematicalPhysicist said:I read somewhere that some of the problems in it appear in the white problems book in GR, but surely not all of them, right?
I too have this magnificent compendium which I acquired whilst in college 1973. Now retired hope to get back into reading it.MathematicalPhysicist said:Yes, I have the two books (hard copies).
I haven't yet found time of reading them carefully, but I am sure that someday I'll find time to systematically reading through them.
Yes, I think you are right.gnnmartin said:I don't know I'm just looking at page 141 last 2 lines of exercise 5.1, which says there is a tension of (E2+B2) along the field lines ... etc. I'm 99.9% sure that this is wrong and that it is only right when the magnetic field is parallel to the electric field. I would be happier to be 100% sure, and it occurred to me that there may be an errata for the book online somewhere.
The main concept of "Gravitation" is the theory of general relativity, which explains the behavior of gravity and its effects on the structure of space and time. It also covers topics such as black holes, cosmology, and the gravitational waves predicted by Einstein's theory.
Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler are three physicists who collaborated to write the book "Gravitation." Charles Misner is known for his contributions to general relativity and cosmology, Kip Thorne is a renowned astrophysicist and Nobel laureate, and John Wheeler was a prominent theoretical physicist who coined the term "black hole."
"Gravitation" is known for its comprehensive and rigorous treatment of the subject, making it a standard reference for researchers and advanced students. It also includes discussions on more advanced topics such as quantum gravity and the Wheeler-DeWitt equation.
While the book is primarily aimed at physicists, it has been praised for its clear and engaging writing style, making it accessible to non-experts with a strong mathematical background. However, some familiarity with calculus and differential equations is necessary to fully understand the concepts.
Yes, "Gravitation" is often used as a textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on general relativity. The book contains exercises and problems to aid in understanding and can also serve as a reference for self-study.