GENERAL-RELATIVITY IN NEWTONIAN FORM

It is shown how the use of coordinates where time is measured with clocks moving radially in a spherically symmetric gravitational field leads to general relativistic dynamical expressions that are exactly identical to corresponding expressions in Newtonian theory. The general formalism is developed for the case where the stress-energy tensor is that of a perfect fluid. Expressions like the Newtonian inverse square gravitational law, the Newtonian equation of continuity for fluid flow, Newtonian conservation of energy, etc., follow quite naturally from the fully-fledged exact general relativistic equations. Specific examples involving cosmology and gravitational collapse are given. © 1990 Plenum Publishing Corporation.