Introduction to Special Relativity

This is a second edition of this book intended for undergraduates taking an introductory course on special relativity which is mainly conceptually and mathematically oriented. A suitably prepared reader could also use it for self-study. It assumes no prior knowledge of relativity. It elaborates the underlying logic, and dwells on the subtleties and apparent paradoxes, and contains many problems which cover all the basic modes of thinking and calculating in special relativity. Much emphasis has been laid on developing the reader's understanding of space-time geometry and 4 -tensor calculus, but 4-dimensional methods are readily abandoned when a 3-dimensional approach gives more direct results. This updated edition contains additional examples and problems, and the chapter on relativistic mechanics of continua has been substantially rewritten. It is intended for university students, undergraduates and graduates, both in physics and applied mathematics, university and college teachers of special relativity courses, engineers and professors.