Child pages
  • General Relativity Marathon Master Page

Versions Compared


  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.


Session DateTopic
15th September

Introduction, degrees of freedom, notions of invariance, locality, field theories, motivation

22nd SeptemberSession canceled due to Jacobs Games and Alumni Homecoming
29th SeptemberSpecial relativity: Part 1 - Inertial frames, Galilean transformations, Lorentz transformations
6th OctoberSpecial relativity: Part 2 - Lorentz transformations, Lorentz invariance, four vectors
13th OctoberSpecial relativity: Part 3 - Metrics and the correct notion of distance, the invariant interval, tensors, the Minkowski metric, the geometry of SR
20th OctoberSession canceled due to organizer being away for the weekend.
27th OctoberThe Algebra of SR, worked examples and paradoxes
3rd NovemberDouble Session: Motivation to GR, the Einstein equivalence principle, the principle of general covariance, tensors
10th NovemberSession canceled due to the University Physics Competition happening  during the weekend
17th NovemberTensors, the Einstein summation convention, coordinate transformations
24th NovemberDouble Session: Pseudo-riemanian manifolds, topology
1st DecemberThe geodesic equation, the christoffel symbols, parallel transport, the covariant derivative
Winter Break
8th 16th FebruaryReview, the covariant derivative, the metric connection, curvature
15th 23rd FebruaryCurvature, fluid mechanics, the energy-stress tensor
22nd 2nd FebruaryThe energy-stress tensor, the Einstein tensor, the Einstein Field Equation
1st 9th MarchDetermining the constant, the newtonian limit, symmetries, Lie derivatives and the killing equation
8th 16th MarchThe Schwarzchild solution, the Schwarzchild blackhole, Kruzkal coordinates
15th 23rd MarchKruzkal coordinates, conformal transformations, causal structures and Penrose diagrams
22nd March2nd April
Optional topics: The FLRW Model, the linearised EFE, the Kerr solution, the teleparallel equivalent of GR, the warp drive metric