Space and Time in Contemporary Physics: An Introduction to the Theory of Relativity And Gravitation

Dr. Schlick has written a book that might (and should) accompany, "Relativity, the Special and General Theory," by Dr. Einstein. Both books were written around 1920 and complement each other in content and detail. If Dr. Einstein's approach is more that of a physicist, Dr. Schlick's approach is more that of a philosopher. Taken together, and read with great care and attention paid to assumptions made in the domain of spatial geometries and the coordinate systems which may be used to "map" them, these books provide a solid foundation for comprehending the essentials of relativity and for seeing those essentials from a non-classical point of view. Relativity is best understood when viewed through its formidable mathematical structure. Popular simplifications all too often contain serious errors that are inevitable when representations and analogies are used to represent the products of mathematical thought. To those interested in the subject of relativity (and in reading how it was understood from the vantage point of the early 20th century), Dr. Schlick's book, along with Dr. Einstein's, is highly recommended. For my own part, as a (now retired) planetary physicist, these books helped me to organize my thoughts with reference to the mathematics, providing an heuristic framework upon which to build.