| Course: | LPS/Phil 241 |
| Name: | Foundations of Relativity I |
| Description: | This is the first quarter of a two quarter course in the mathematical and conceptual foundations of relativity theory. It will include an exposition of the basic elements of differential geometry and general relativity. To this extent it will overlap with courses such as one finds in a math or physics department. But the emphasis throughout will be on foundational issues. There will be no study of techniques for solving Einstein's equation, nor of astrophysical applications. But there will be careful consideration of the "logical structure" of the theory, its relation to Newtonian gravitation theory, the geometric interpretation of Einstein's equation, the "causal structure of spacetime", and other such topics. The comparison with Newtonian theory will exploit the possibility of (anachronistically) giving the earlier theory a "geometrized" four-dimensional formulation.
The course will presuppose a knowledge of basic undergraduate mathematics (calculus in several variables, linear algebra, elementary point set topology), and at least passing acquaintance with the special theory of relativity. |