A Beginner's Guide to Learning About Black Holes

In summary, there are various resources available for beginners looking to learn about black holes. If you have a strong background in mathematics and physics, textbooks such as "Black Holes and Time Warps" by Kip S. Thorne and "General Relativity from A to B" by Robert Geroch may be helpful. If you are not yet at a university level, books such as "Spacetime Physics" and "Exploring Black Holes" by Taylor and Wheeler may be better suited. Additionally, tutorials and online resources such as "A Short Course in General Relativity" by Schutz can provide a deeper understanding of black holes.
  • #1
Owen-
40
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Does anyone know where I might find a good beginners guide to black holes?

I know its a big topic to start from scratch - but I'm a quick learner.
 
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  • #2
What is your current level of education? There are textbooks that I could recommend, but you'd need University maths to be able to understand them. Black holes are a prediction of relativity so to really understand them you first need to understand relativity, which requires quite a bit of pre-requisite physics and maths knowledge.

On the other hand if you haven't got that knowledge yet, you can still get a decent qualitative understanding of black holes, but the appropriate references to point you towards would be different. Let's us know you current level and we can give you better advice.
 
  • #3
Black Holes and Time Warps - Kip S. Thorne
 
  • #4
Im not at uni just yet sadly. I know bits about relativity but not much - so I am guessing i should start there first - Any links to sites, or good books on relativity then? (thanks Riogho anyway)

Cheers
 
  • #5
Owen- said:
Im not at uni just yet sadly. I know bits about relativity but not much - so I am guessing i should start there first - Any links to sites, or good books on relativity then? (thanks Riogho anyway)

Cheers

Try General Relativity from A to B by Robert Geroch.
 
  • #6
George Jones said:
Try General Relativity from A to B by Robert Geroch.

i have heard about hawking radiation but want to know that vat exactly happens at the event horizon that emits hawking radiation ?
 
  • #7
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  • #8
Owen- said:
Im not at uni just yet sadly. I know bits about relativity but not much - so I am guessing i should start there first - Any links to sites, or good books on relativity then? (thanks Riogho anyway)

Cheers

If you know calculus (derivatives, differentials, integrals) and want to actually be able to solve problems not just read some popular fluff, the two most appropriate books to start with are

Spacetime Physics, Taylor and Wheeler - covers special relativity, spacetime without gravity
Exploring Black Holes, Taylor and Wheeler - covers black holes which are just a single chapter in general relativity, doesn't use tensors at all
 
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  • #9
Does anyone knows where i can get tutorials for this course I'm doing in my physics major, THEORETICAL MECHANICS?
 
  • #10
Look into Schutz' "A Short Course in General Relativity." It's very readable by anyone with experience with basic calculus. By the end of it you'll have a much deeper, mathematically-supported understanding of black holes.

- Warren
 

Related to A Beginner's Guide to Learning About Black Holes

What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape its grasp. It is created when a massive star dies and its core collapses under its own gravity.

How big can a black hole get?

Black holes can range in size from small, stellar-mass black holes to supermassive black holes that can have the mass of billions of suns. The size of a black hole depends on the amount of matter it has consumed and its location within a galaxy.

What happens if you fall into a black hole?

If you were to fall into a black hole, you would experience extreme tidal forces that would stretch and compress your body. As you approach the center, known as the singularity, the gravitational pull would become infinitely strong and you would be crushed to an infinitely small point.

Can anything escape from a black hole?

According to current scientific understanding, nothing can escape from a black hole. However, recent theories suggest that some information may be able to escape in the form of Hawking radiation, but this has not been proven yet.

Are black holes dangerous?

Black holes are only dangerous if you get too close to them. Their strong gravitational pull can disrupt the orbits of nearby objects and even pull them into the black hole. However, the chances of encountering a black hole in space are very slim, so there is no need to worry about their danger.

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