"This short text describes the physics of curved space-times and Einstein's general theory of relativity for physics undergraduates with a knowledge of advanced mechanics. It explains the physics of black holes, gravitational waves, the expanding Universe and the creation of the chemical elements in the Big Bang"--

Brian P. Dolan is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Theoretical Physics at Maynooth University in Ireland, where he has taught courses in theoretical physics for thirty-five years, and an Adjunct Professor at Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

1. Introduction; 2. Metrics; 3. Geodesics; 4. The geometry of curved spaces; 5. Einstein's field equations; 6. Solutions of Einstein's equations in empty space; 7. Cosmology and the Big Bang; Appendix A. Tensors of type (p; q); Appendix B. The Riemann tensor; Appendix C. The energy-momentum tensor; Appendix D. The Schwarzschild metric; Appendix E. Robertson-Walker space-time; References; Index.