Lecture Description
Leonard Susskind derives the Einstein field equations of general relativity and demonstrates how they equate spacetime curvature as expressed by the Einstein tensor, with the energy and momentum within that spacetime as expressed by the stress-energy tensor. Recorded on November 26, 2012.
Course Index
- The Equivalence Principle and Tensor Analysis
- Tensor Mathematics
- Riemannian Geometry: Flatness and Curvature
- Geodesics, Gravitational Fields, & Special Relativity
- The Metric for a Gravitational Field
- Schwarzschild Radius & Black Hole Singularity
- Falling into a Black Hole: The Event Horizon
- Black Hole Formation, Penrose Diagrams & Wormholes
- Einstein Field Equations of General Relativity
- Gravity Waves: Gravitational Radiation & Einstein-Hilbert Action
Course Description
General relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916 and the current description of gravitation in modern physics. General relativity generalizes special relativity and Newton's law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time, or spacetime. In particular, the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the energy and momentum of whatever matter and radiation are present. This course uses the physics of black holes extensively to develop and illustrate the concepts of general relativity and curved spacetime. This series is the fourth installment of a six-quarter series that explore the foundations of modern physics. In this quarter, Leonard Susskind focuses on Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.