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Prof:
Ken Intriligator, Mayer Hall 5234.
Text: Gravity (An introduction to Einstein's General Relativity) by Jim Hartle Other recommended texts: Spacetime and Geometry,
by Sean Carroll. A First Course in General Relativity by Bernard Schutz; General Relativity by Robert M. Wald;. Gravitation and Cosmology Gravitation by Steven Weinberg; Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.
Course time and place
: MW 12:30-1:50, MYR-A 2623
Homework: There will be several homework sets, and they'll count toward your grade. You can discuss the problems together, but the final thing handed in should represent your own work. Late HW policy: -25% if turned in by following lecture, no credit thereafter. It is essential to do the HW on a timely basis. If you can't make it to lecture, you may put HW under my office door. Final exam:
There will be a final exam (in class or take-home, TBD). It'll count for 25% of your grade, and the HW will count for the other
75%.
Interesting new NASA announcement on gravity probe B results |
| date | Topics (and link to notes) | Homework (and link to solutions) |
| 3/28 | Introduction | HW 1 (due 4/4) Solutions |
| 3/30 | Lorentz, 4-vectors cont. | |
| 4/4 | action, etc, equivalence principle. | HW 2 (due 4/11) solns |
| 4/6 | equivalence principle, clock rates | |
| 4/11 | spacetime geometry | |
| 4/13 | metrics, (dual) vectors | HW 3 (due 4/25) solns |
| 4/18 | (dual) vectors etc cont, | |
| 4/20 | geodesics | |
| 4/25 | geodesics in schwarzschild metric | |
| 4/27 | geodesics in schwarzschild metric cont | |
| 5/2 | geodesics cont | |
| 5/4 | geodesics, PPN, start black holes | |
| 5/9 | black holes | HW 4, due May 18. |
| 5/11 | more black holes | |
| 5/16 | Covariant derivatives of tensors | |
| 5/18 | Curvature, geodesic deviation | |
| 5/23 | Einstein's equations | |
| 5/25 | Einstein's equations and Schwarzschild solution | HW 5 (Due June 1) |
| 5/30 | Memorial Day, no class | |
| 6/1 | Gravity waves, Cosmology. |