General Relativity step by step: A first course in General Relativity Paperback – October 13, 2023

As a retired engineer I enjoy learning some topics that were beyond my level in college. General Relativity (GR) is one I've approached through a couple of textbooks (e.g., Einstein's Gravity in a Nutshell, A. Zee), but not with much success.In my case, self-study using a quality text didn't provide the practical physics and math techniques I needed for non-trivial GR calculations, and to understand significant derivations and proofs. Perhaps this is a deficit shared by sone other self-studiers since we don't attend a class or have easy access to quality open source problem sets*, etc.For me, Michael Cole's "General Relativity Step by Step" stands solidly in place of classroom instruction, problem sets, study groups, etc. The detailed and step-by-step calculations, derivations and proofs are useful as templates and building blocks. Basic snippets of math/proofs/figures throughout the book mimic what might arise in study groups.For my level of self-study, Cole's book and its step-by-step approach was quite helpful in lessening the learning curve when I returned to Zee.* I am not requesting links to problem sets.

This is an ideal book for someone who has seen the eponymous Einstein field equations countless times and has always been curious to understand them:Guv + Λguv = 8πG/c^4 TuvYou’ve probably heard this a million times: On the right is the stress energy tensor Tuv. This describes what is in space-time (matter, energy, pressure, etc.). On the left is the Einstein tensor Guv. This describes the shape – its curvature – that space-time assumes as a result of what is described in Tuv.But how do we talk about the shape of space if the highest level of math education you have is high school calculus? And in particular, how do we do that if you took calculus decades ago? That’s where this book shines. This book takes the reader through all the required math, step by step, until the reader understands the Einstein field equations well enough to solve two relatively simple GR problems:1. The deflection of a beam of light as it just grazes the sun.2. The acceleration due to gravity on earth (the familiar 32 feet/s^2).This book also answers a question I’ve always wondered about: Why 8πG/c^4? Where does this constant come from? Recall that G is the Newtonian gravitational constant, the same G that appears in Newton’s equation for gravity:F = GMm/d^2This book explains, in great detail, where this constant comes from and derives it.If you are curious enough about General Relativity to want to understand the math and have had high school calculus sometime in your life, this book is for you.About the pictures:One picture shows the beginning of the derivation of the constant 8πG/c^4.The other picture, well into the book from Chapter 10, shows the tedious evaluation of an expression. Note the use of different colors to identify different parts of the expansion of various terms and the use of strike throughs to indicate which pairs of terms mutually cancel each other. This approach allows the reader to follow, without missing a single step, a complete evaluation of an expression. There are no "and then a miracle occurs" moments in this book.

I didn’t give it a five only due to my mathematical ignorance. Not for beginners. You will need a substantial background in geometry.

Here is one GR book that fulfils its promise to take you from essentially college freshman math (or advanced HS) to understanding the theory at a genuine level of mathematical detail. It does require putting in the time and work to follow the development, but in turn the author's style is very readable and inviting.This is a good follow-up to Sean Carroll's "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion" if you want a more detailed tour through GR theory.

Book is great! But Amazon doesn't allow me to explain why I gave delivery poor rating!I want to have my packages put on the table that is on my porch at my front door!

I’ve read many books on GR. Cole’s book is by far the best pedagogical step-by-step introduction to all the essential prerequisites (tensors, covariant derivatives, differential geometry, and of course GR). Thanks for taking the time to write this book!

Perfect math level