Author: Ulrich Tuerke
Date: 10:03:25 09/23/02
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On September 23, 2002 at 07:47:58, Alastair Scott wrote: >On September 23, 2002 at 03:50:55, Ulrich Tuerke wrote: > >>On September 22, 2002 at 14:18:37, Alastair Scott wrote: >> >>>... >>>Unlikely things are not impossible things ... occasionally. For example, >>>Einstein had no university position and was working in the Swiss Patent Office >>>(at a rather higher position than is usually assumed, it must be noted) when 'On >>>the electrodynamics of moving bodies' 'popped out of nowhere'. >>>... >> >>I don't think that this is completely right. >>Regarding the special theory of relativity there had been important findings >>before Einstein. Einstein himself for instance could use the results of Lorenz. >> >>IMHO, regarding special theory of relativity, Einstein was the one person who >>had the courage to say "that's physics" (and not a mathematical exercise). >> >>IIRC, things had been quite different later, when Einstein formulated the >>general theory of relativity. This is essentially his work, which he had >>developed from scratch; a work of incredible ingenuinious creativity. >> >>What you are referring to (electrodynamics of moving bodies) looks much like the >>special theory of relativity. > >This is all correct, and the General Theory was a far better example. How much >of Lorentz, FitzGerald and others Einstein was aware of has been a matter for >debate for the best part of 100 years, but solid evidence is lacking and it's >quite probable the correct answer is "all of it". (Obviously he was fully aware >of the Michelson-Morley experiment, for example!) Thank god, I haven't confused everything (as usual). It's some time ago that I 'd been involved in physics. However, I'm still dreaming of studying General Relativity "some day" (perhaps after throwing the towel regarding Comet). > >But there are, in retrospect, faint hints of the Special Theory right back to >the work of people like Weber and Maxwell*. "If not Einstein then whom, and >when?" is an interesting speculation. Agreed. > >The original 1905 paper was called 'on the electrodynamics of moving bodies'; >I've read it with great difficulty. Not because it was in German as I understand >the language well, but because it was in a special collection under tight >security! Interesting. Are you working as a physicist or is it just a spare time interest of yours ? Uli > >Alastair > >* To get a little mathematical, in various places in Maxwell's collected papers >you see the first couple of terms of the binomial expansion of gamma(v) [a >mathematical function which occurs right through the Special Theory and cannot >be fully derived from classical physics].
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