Maharaj, Sunil Dutt.Takisa, Pedro Mafa.2016-05-112016-05-112010http://hdl.handle.net/10413/12931M. Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville 2010.The purpose of this thesis is to provide new exact solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell system which are physically reasonable. We assume that the spacetime is static and spherically symmetric with a charged anisotropic matter distribution. The equation of state is linear. We show that the class of models found by Thirukkanesh and Maharaj (2008) has a singularity in the charge density at the centre of the sphere. Two new exact classes of solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell are found in terms of elementary functions. This contains models in which there is no singularity in charge density. From our general models, we can regain the Thirukkanesh and Maharaj (2008) models and other models as special cases. The physical analysis show that the solutions are relevant for the description of realistic compact relativistic stars. We demonstrate that the mass corresponds to a compact relativistic body with anisotropy in presence of charge. We show that the electromagnetic field appreciably affects the value of the mass. A detailed physical analysis of the matter variables and electromagnetic quantities is performed. The models generated are consistent with the quark stars containing strange matter.en-ZAEinstein field equations.Stars.Matter.Electromagnetic theory.Theses--Applied mathematics.Thesis