BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI

Hyderabad campus
Second Semester 2023-24
Course Handout Date: 09-01-2024

Course Number : PHY F315

Course Title : Theory of Relativity
Instructor : SashideepGutti

Scope & Objective of the course:All of modern physics is based on theory of

relativity and quantum mechanics. This course deals with all the aspects of
theory of relativity. The course is designed to provide students with a working
knowledge of both special and general theory of relativity. The necessary
mathematical background required to understand the geometric aspects of
relativity are developed in the course. As part of the applications of general
relativity, the course includes detailed analysis of black holes, wormholes as
well as cosmological equations that describe the universe.
Text Book: 1) Introduction to Special Relativity by Robert Resnick, Wiley India Ltd.
2) A first course in general relativity, Bernard F. Schutz, Cambridge University Press,
2009 (South east Asian edition).
Reference Books/E materials:
1: An Introduction to Einstein’s general relativity, James B Hartle
2: Gravitation and Cosmology, Steven Weinberg. Wiley India Pvt Ltd, 2008.
3: Lecture notes on General Relativity by Sean Carrol (available on the internet).
4: Gravitation by Miesner Thorne Wheeler, Freeman and Company, 1973.
5: Gravitation by T. Padmanabhan, Cambridge university Press, 2010

Course Plan:
Lecture Learning Objectives Topics to be covered Reference
Number Chapter/
Section
1-8 Special Relativity Spacetime diagrams, Lorentz RESNICK
transformations, Invariant lengths, CHAPTER
velocity additions, Electricity and 1,2,3,4
Magnetic fields.
9-10 Vector analysis in Four vectors, four velocity, scalar Schutz
STR products chapter 2
11-16 Tensor Analysis in Tensors, Metric, One forms, Raising Schutz
STR and lowering the indicies chapter 3
17-19 Energy momentum Fluids, Dust, Perfect fluids, Schutz
tensor and perfect Interpretation of EM tensor chapter 4
fluids
20-23 Preface to Gravitation and Curvature, Schutz
curvature Christoffel symbols, non coordinate chapter 5
basis
24-30 Curved manifolds Differentiable manifolds, Schutz
 and differential Riemannian manifolds, Covariant chapter 6
geometry derivative, Parallel Transport,
Curvature Tensor, Bianchi Identities
31-34 Physics of Curved Differential geometry to gravity, Schutz
space Conserved Quantities chapter 7
35-36 Einstein field Einstein equations motivation and Schutz
equations derivation chapter 8
37-38 Schwarzschild Spherically symmetric solutions, Schutz
solution general and static. Derivation of chapter
Schwarzschild metric, Chapter 10
section
10.1 and
10.2,
Chapter 11
39-40 Black Holes and Motion of geodesics in spherically Schutz
Schwarzschild symmetric spacetimes, Behavior of chapter 11
geometry coordinates near event horizon,
Region inside the black hole,
Coordinate systems, Formation of
black holes, Kerr blackhole and
charged black hole.
41-42 Gravitational Linearize field equations Schutz
Waves chapter 9

Evaluation Scheme:
EC Evaluation Duration Weightage Date, Time Remarks
No. Component (%)
1. Assignment 15 Open book
1
2. Assignment 15 Open Book
2
3 Midsem 90 Min 30 11/03 - 9.30 - Closed book
11.00AM
4 Comp. 3 Hours 40 06/05 FN Closed Book
Exam

Chamber Consultation Hour: To be announced.

Notices: Notices and solutions of tests & Final Comprehensive Examination will be displayed
only on the Physics notice board.
Make-up Policy: It is applicable to the following two cases and it is permissible on production
of evidential documents.
(i) Debilitating illness.
(ii) Out of station with prior permission from the Institute
Academic Honesty and Integrity Policy: Academic honesty and integrity are to be maintained by all the
students throughout the semester and no type of academic dishonesty is acceptable.