Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light

An Excursion to the Wave-Particle Duality and the Special Theory of Relativity

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by Ralph Baierlein

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published August 2001, 352 pages, paper

ISBN 0521423236

New in paper (F01)

Baierlein takes the reader along the trail of light from Newton's particles to Einstein's relativity. Like the best detective stories, it presents clues and encourages the reader to draw conclusions before the answers are revealed. The first seven chapters cover the behavior of light, Newton's particle theory, waves and an electromagnetic wave theory of light, the photon, and wave-particle duality. Baierlein goes on to develop the special theory of relativity, showing how time dilation and length contraction are consequence

Contents

Preface
1. How light behaves
2. Newtonâs particle theory
3. A wave theory of light
4. Interference
5. Electromagnetic waves
6. The photon
7. The wave-particle duality
8. Does the speed of light depend on the motion of the source of light?
9. The principles of the Special Theory of Relativity
10. Time dilation and length contraction
11. E=mc2
12. The twins
13. The Lorentz transformations
14. Space and time; Glossary; Appendices; Index.