Algebraic Computing in General Relativity

For the researcher in general relativity, this book presents a wide overview of the facilities available in computer algebra to lessen the burden of lengthy, error-prone calculations in their research by using MAPLE, REDUCE, and SHEEP. This is the first book to cover SHEEP and Stensor, and it is filled with practical advice on how to use these packages to maximise their potential.

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Based on lectures given at a summer school on computer algebra, the book provides a didactic description of the facilities available in three computor algebra systems - MAPLE, REDUCE and SHEEP - for performing calculations in the algebra-intensive field of general relativity. With MAPLE and REDUCE, two widespread great-purpose systems, the reader is shown how to use currently available packages to perform calculations with respect to tetrads, co-ordinate systems, and Poincare` gauge theory. The section on SHEEP and Stensor, being the first published book on these systems, explains how to use these systems to tackle a wide range of calculations with respect to tackle a wide range of calculations in general relativity, including the manipulation of indicial formulae. For the researcher in general relativity, the book therefore promises a wide overview of the facilities available in computer algebra to lessen the burden of the lengthy, error-prone calculations involved in their research.