Einstein's General Relativity is one of the outstanding
accomplishments of twentieth century physics. In the twenty-first
century, understanding the very early history of the universe and the
features of the universe on the largest scales
stands as one of the great challenges in science. While often described
as obscure, General Relativity is accessible to students with
experience with advanced calculus and special relativity. While our
time is limited, we will gain enough understanding to study black holes
and the big bang.
Syllabus
Lecture 1: Introduction
Differentials, metrics, transformations.
Handout:
Vectors (also for 139B Students)
Handout:
Meaning of the Action Principle
Handout:
Four Vectors
Notes from lecture
on geodesic equation
Constructing local Lorentz frames
The Kepler Problem With and Without General Relativity
Black Hole Metrics: Eddington-Finkelstein and Kruskal
Curvature: The Einstein Equations and Applications to Cosmology
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Homework
Assignments and Exam Solutions