FISCHER@RUTGERS@sri-unix (11/24/82)
From: Ron <FISCHER at RUTGERS> How difficult would it be for someone with a college level physics background to read the original works by Einstein, et. al.? I imagine some authors write well and some, not so well. I recall Einstein wrote a book explaining relativity for the layman (or near layman). If anyone has read this could they mention how much of the theory it really explains? Perhaps it would be possible to recommend works by the original authors for the topics that are discussed. (ron) -------
jce (11/29/82)
Einstein's original (1905-1918) papers on relativity are VERY readable by anyone having a college level understanding of physics (through Maxwell's equations, and Lagrange/Hamiltonian methods would help). There is a good collection published by dover press, reprinting works by Einstein, Minkowski, Weyl, and (I think) Eddington. I think it's called The Principle of Relativity. This book is a must for anyone serious about learning relativity.