BIBLIOGRAPHY*

R. C. TOLMAN, Relativity, Thermodynamics and Cosmology
Oxford University Press, 1934, XVI, 502 pp., Sh. 20

R. C. TOLMAN, Relativity, Thermodynamics and Cosmology

In recent years, partly in connection with the flourishing of quantum physics and partly in connection with unsuccessful attempts to create a unified field theory of gravitation and electricity, interest in the theory of relativity has moved out of the center of physicists’ attention. The fundamental works of Weyl and E. Eddington have not been reissued in recent years, and much in them already seems outdated to us. The special theory of relativity has in these years become, alongside Maxwell’s theory, an area of classical physics, and most works devoted to the exposition of special disciplines presuppose that it is known to the reader. As for the general theory of relativity, despite all its depth and grandeur, for many years it proved to be closed within itself and did not exert any noticeable influence on the general development of the physics of our epoch.

However, the pace of the theory’s development was only relatively slow in comparison with the pace of development of quantum physics. This can be said in particular of the application of the theory to cosmological problems. The model of a universe with a radius of the world increasing with time, proposed by Lemaître, proved compatible with the basic equations of the theory of relativity and made it possible to explain the shift of spectral lines of stellar nebulae. Lemaître’s work gave impetus to the construction of a whole series of new cosmological models and to the study of their stability. This direction opened up new prospects and enormous possibilities before the general theory of relativity.

Tolman’s book appears for the first time after a long interruption during which no books on the theory of relativity were published. Its appearance should therefore be regarded as a major and important event in this field. The book is divided into three parts.

The first part (pp. 1–165) expounds the special theory of relativity. Its exposition differs noticeably from the usual one. It is evident, however, that the book was written with deep reflection. All definitions and proofs are given precisely, with a sufficiently deep grasp of the subject. Both the specialist in this field and the beginning reader experience a feeling of profound satisfaction and receive exhaustive answers to all questions that arise.

Of special interest is an entire section devoted to the exposition of the foundations of thermodynamics in connection with the theory of relativity. Until now these questions have been illuminated only in the journal literature, and even the specialist will find much that is new in them.

The second part (pp. 165–330) expounds the general theory of relativity. In addition to a brilliant and complete presentation of the mathematical apparatus, this section contains numerous, carefully calculated examples of the application of the general theory of relativity to concrete problems. This is especially valuable, since a certain formalistic character of the mathematical apparatus of the general theory of relativity very often leads only

* Based on materials of the Critical-Bibliographical Institute.

to a formal mastery of its foundations and to a complete helplessness in applying it to concrete physical problems. In this part of the book, the thoroughness and elaboration of the entire set of problems is especially evident.

But the greatest interest is presented by the last part of the book, devoted to cosmological problems. Whereas the content of the preceding two parts of the book largely repeats the content of well-known books by Weyl and Eddington, the last, third part contains the results of work from recent years, not yet once set forth in systematic form. After a detailed analysis of the old static models of the universe and a comparison of them with observational data, the author proceeds to an exposition of modern nonstatic models. Even a specialist in the field of relativity theory will find in this part much that is new, which had escaped him when reading the journal literature. Here the material and the author’s presentation are of a particularly original character.

It should be expressed as a wish that the book be translated into Russian as soon as possible. If the considerable size of the book (502 pp.) should cause some difficulties in publication, one could confine oneself to the translation and publication of the most valuable and important last part, dealing with cosmological problems; this is all the more permissible since, in view of the independent significance of the third part, its reading is possible even without the first two parts, instead of which one may make use of the translation of Eddington’s book that has just appeared.

Yu. Rumer