ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Some files referred to below are password protected; see me for access.)
6/2/99
The take-home final will be handed out in class Friday 6/4, and is due
in my office Monday 6/7 at noon.
It may be possible for some students to take the exam from Monday to Wednesday
instead. If you wish to do this,
6/1/99
The
solutions to HW #4 have been slightly expanded.
5/28/99
The
solutions to HW #4 have been posted.
5/25/99
A minor typo in HW 4 has been corrected:
5/17/99
HW 4 (global structure) has been posted, and is due on
Friday, 5/28/99.
5/12/99
Solutions to the midterm have been posted outside my office. Grading scale is
roughly:
5/9/99
More Midterm Clarifications:
5/8/99
Midterm Clarifications:
5/5/99
The take-home midterm will be handed out in class Friday 5/7, and is
due in class Monday 5/10 at 3 PM.
4/30/99
The
solutions to HW #3 have been posted.
4/29/99
The direct method for entering a metric using GRTensor, as described in the
original version of my notes on
algebraic computing, does not work. Instead, use makeg.
My notes have been revised to reflect this.
4/28/99
The deadline for HW 3 has been extended until Friday,
4/30/99.
The software used in today's demonstration is called
GRTensorII, and is freely available at
4/27/99
The "sphere" referred to throughout HW 3 is the SURFACE
of a solid sphere (more correctly called a ball). It is a 2-dimensional
surface; r is NOT a coordinate.
4/23/99
My notes on the
bare bones of calculating curvature have been posted.
You may find these notes helpful when working the homework problems.
4/21/99
I have slightly revised the
solutions to HW #2.
4/19/99
HW 3 (the sphere) has been posted, and is due on
Wednesday, 4/28/99.
The
solutions to HW #2 will be posted after class today.
My notes on
algebraic computing in relativity have been posted.
You may find these notes helpful when working the homework problems; please
see the ground rules.
4/14/99
In HW 2, a 4-vector is classified as null (also
called lightlike) if its "squared length" is zero, spacelike if
it is positive ("more space than time"), and timelike if it is negative
("more time than space"). Furthermore, two 4-vectors are parallel if
they are multiples of each other, and orthogonal if their (metric)
product is zero.
4/9/99
HW 2 (tensor algebra) has been posted, and is due on
Monday, 4/19/99.
The
solutions to HW #1 have been posted.
4/7/99
My notes on
covariant derivatives and curvature have been posted. There is a very
quick summary of tensor algebra in the Appendix.
4/5/99
Copies of both readings on the twin paradox listed in the
syllabus have been posted outside my office.
4/2/99
HW 1 (special relativity paradox) is due next Friday,
4/9/99.
3/31/99
Chapter 9 of the text makes good background reading for the physical
principles behind general relativity, as briefly discussed on Monday. In
particular, there is a lengthy discussion of Mach's principle in §9.2.
3/29/99
My notes on
the geometry of special relativity
have been posted.
HW 0
(send me email) was assigned today (new students only); please try to get to
this by the end of the week.
HW 1
(special relativity paradox)
is available; due date to be announced.