Relativity, in the sense of the physical sciences, is the
study of the comparison of observations by different
observers. While a seemingly trivial pursuit, relativity has
provided deep insights into reality and the universe. The
approach taken in this class is to discuss the historical
evolution of relativity: we will begin with Galileo and
Newton and end with remarkable confirmations of
Einstein’s ideas. The topics by session: (1) Overview; (2)
Galilean and special relativity; (3) General Relativity; (4)
Black holes, cosmology, and gravitational waves.