Bøker av Robert Geroch

Robert Geroch's lecture notes on general relativity are unique in three main respects. First, the physics of general relativity and the mathematics, which describes it, are masterfully intertwined in such a way that both reinforce each other to facilitate the understanding of the most abstract and subtle issues. Second, the physical phenomena are first properly explained in terms of spacetime and then it is shown how they can be "decomposed" into familiar quantities, expressed in terms of space and time, which are measured by an observer. Third, Geroch's successful pedagogical approach to teaching theoretical physics through visualization of even the most abstract concepts is fully applied in his lectures on general relativity by the use of around a hundred figures. Although the book contains lecture notes written in 1972, it is (and will remain) an excellent introduction to general relativity, which covers its physical foundations, its mathematical formalism, the classical tests of its predictions, its application to cosmology, a number of specific and important issues (such as the initial value formulation of general relativity, signal propagation, time orientation, causality violation, singularity theorems, conformal transformations, and asymptotic structure of spacetime), and the early approaches to quantization of the gravitational field. As a very helpful companion to this book can serve Geroch's "Differential Geometry: 1972 Lecture Notes". This printing (24 September 2015) corrects all discovered typos.

Mathematical Physics is an introduction to such basic mathematical structures as groups, vector spaces, topological spaces, measure spaces, and Hilbert space. Geroch uses category theory to emphasize both the interrelationships among different structures and the unity of mathematics.

Computation is the process of applying a procedure or algorithm to the solution of a mathematical problem. This book covers three broad topics: the computation process and its limitations, the search for computational efficiency, and the role of quantum mechanics in computation.

This beautiful little book is certainly suitable for anyone who has had an introductory course in physics and even for some who have not. Moreover, it contains enough substance so that a modern physicist may find that he can learn something--perhaps only that a difficult topic can be presented to a general audience. The whole succeeds so well because Geroch believes that 'physics is a human activity...' and wants to share some of its joys with others. - Joshua N. Goldberg, Physics Today.