# Best Book on Special Relativity for a Layman **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241 "2003-06-25T05:59:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/1 "2003-06-25T05:59:46Z")
This might be better for IMHO, but since there are objective criteria to judge the book on I thought I would put it here. So, what is the best book for a layman to read to get an understanding of Special Relativity? I have been considering either: Space and Time in Special Relativity by N. David Mermin [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0881334200/qid=1056520993/sr=8-1/ref=sr\_8\_1/103-4136426-9277404?v=glance&s=books&n=507846](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0881334200/qid=1056520993/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-4136426-9277404?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) or Einstein’s Theory of Relativity by Max Born [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486607690/qid=1056521058/sr=2-1/ref=sr\_2\_1/103-4136426-9277404](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0486607690/qid=1056521058/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-4136426-9277404) But since I am not an expert I thought I would ask everyone her what they thought. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/2 "2003-06-25T14:14:49Z")
While not specifically about SR, I found the first few chapters of Brian Greene’s “The Elegant Universe” to be among the clearest explainations about SR that I have encoutered. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/3 "2003-06-25T17:12:06Z")
Special Relativity isn’t that difficult to understand, to tell the truth I don’t think an explanation from an introductory text book on the theory of relativity would be to difficult for someone with a high school physics eductaion to understand. That said I agree with Shalmanese, Brian Greene’s explanation is very goodn (I bought the book cheaply from a second-hand shop yesterday and it’s actually about superstring theory). ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/4 "2003-06-25T22:57:42Z")
I haven’t read the Born book. Nor do I suppose I counted as a layman when I read Mermin’s, but I can vouch that _Space and Time in Special Relativity_ is an accurate and through attempt at such an introduction. It does assume a shade more background knowledge of mathematics than is normal in such books: Mermin’s own assessment is “elementary algebra, plane geometry, and (occasionally) triginometry.” On the other hand, as a step up from simple popularisations, there are nice discussions of things like the “barn and pole”, which are fun to get your head round. ---
**Author:** ![ChaosGod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@ChaosGod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChaosGod)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/5 "2003-06-25T23:17:02Z")
\ How about an online source? Any good website on the subject? I’ve got good maths skills, but I’m not willing to tackle equations longer than this sentence. \ ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-book-on-special-relativity-for-a-layman/184241/6 "2003-06-26T06:34:09Z")
Ah, I knew I had this somewhere: Relativity explained with no words over 4 letters long [http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/txt/al.html](http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/txt/al.html)