Regresar

A brief outline of the development of the theory of relativity

Abstract:

[Translated by Dr. Robert W. Lawson.] THERE is s? mething attractive in presenting, its aid HA Lox: entz was also pre-eminently the evolution of a sequence of ideas in as successful i1; 1 explaining the experimental facts. brief a form as possible, and yet with a complete- The theory appeared to be unsatisfactory only ness sufficient to preserve throughout the con- in one point of fundamental importance. It tinuity of development. vVe shall endeavour to appeared to give preference to one system of codo this for the Theory of Relativity, and to shmv ordinates of a particular state of motion (at rest that the whole ascent is composed of small almost relative to the rether) as against all other systems self-evident steps of thought.' of co-ordinates in motion with respect to this one. The entire development starts off from and is In this point the theory seemed to stand in direct by, idea of Faraday and Maxwell, opposition to classical mechanics, in which all to all physical processes involve. inertial systems which are in uniform motion with a_ contmuity of. actwn (as opposed to action at a respect to each other are equally justifiable as distance), or, m the language of mathematics, systems of co-ordinates (Special Principle of Relat? ey are expressed by partial differential equa- tivity). In this connection, all experience also in tlons. Max"': ell succeeded_ in doing this for the realm of electro-dynamics (in particular electro-magnetic processes In bodies at rest by Michelson's experiment) supported the idea of the means of the c_onception of the magnetic effect equivalence of all inertial systems, ie was in of the vacuum-displacement-current, together with favour of the …