Relatively Speaking (Relativity, Black Holes, and the Fate of the Universe)

"Beginning with a clear, nontechnical discussion of both the ‘special’ and ‘general’ theories of relativity, astrophysicist Chaisson explores their theoretical and experimental bases and what these say about the origin and structure of the universe. He examines very large issues: cosmological foundations of the universe, the various ‘models’ of the universe, and black holes….An integrated, coherent discussion. Lively, readable, and informed." —Library Journal

This book is based upon a series of lectures delivered during the past decade to nontechnical audiences at Harvard University. As in the lectures, Eric Chaisson aims here to share the fundamentals of relativity theory, as well as some of its cosmological and black-hole applications, with anyone having an abiding curiosity about the nature of our world.