Recommendations for textbook on relativity?

[ijzer]

Hi all,

I am currently working on chapters 11 and 12 of Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics and I have reached the conclusion that I need a supplementary textbook on relativity to fresh up my knowledge a bit.

Could someone recommend me a good textbook on special relativity that:

(a) Covers at the very least everything included in Jackson chapters 11 and 12.
(b) Uses the same formalism as Jackson.
(c) Has plenty of examples and (worked) problems especially on co(ntra)variant tensors and all the index gymnastics.
(d) Has some chapters on general relativity (for future use, not crucial).

Thanks!

 

[Daverz]

An inexpensive Dover book that goes into great detail is
A. O. Barut, Electrodynamics and Classical Theory of Fields and Particles.. No GR, though. Useful background for QED.

For background on SR, I recommend Rindler, Relativity: Special, General, and Cosmological.

 

[charng]

As a scientist with expertise in the field of relativity, I would recommend "Introduction to Special Relativity" by Wolfgang Rindler. This textbook covers all the topics mentioned in your criteria and is written in a similar formalism to Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics. It also includes numerous examples and problems on tensors and index gymnastics, making it a great resource for strengthening your understanding of these concepts. Additionally, the book has a section on general relativity for future reference. I have personally used this textbook in my own research and have found it to be highly comprehensive and useful. I hope this recommendation helps in your studies. Best of luck!