Kundenlogin- Zusatztext
The transition from classical to modern physics in the ?rst half of the twentieth c- tury by quantum and relativity theories affected some of the most fundamental notions of physical thinking, such as matter, radiation, space, and time. This tran- tion thus represents a challenge for any attempt to understand the structures of a s- enti?c revolution. The present four-volume work aims at a comprehensive account of the way in which the work of Albert Einstein and his contemporaries changed our understanding of space, time, and gravitation. The conceptual framework of classical nineteenth-century physics had to be fundamentally restructured and reinterpreted in order to arrive at a theory of gravitation compatible with the new notions of space and time established in 1905 by Einstein¿s special theory of relativity. Whereas the classical theory of gravitation postulated an instantaneous action at a distance, Einstein¿s new relativistic kinematics rather suggested an analogy between the gravitational ?eld and the electromagnetic ?eld, propagating with a ?nite speed. It is therefore not surprising that Einstein was not alone in addressing the problem of formulating a theory of gravitation that complies with the kinematics of relativity t- ory. The analysis of these alternative approaches, as well as of earlier alternative approaches to gravitation within classical physics, turns out to be crucial for identi- ing the necessities and contingencies in the actual historical development.
- Kurztext
This four-volume work represents the most comprehensive documentation and study of the creation of general relativity; one of the fundamental physical theories of the 20th century. It comprises key sources from Einstein and others who from the late 19th to the early 20th century contributed to this monumental development. Some of these sources are presented here in translation for the first time. Einstein's famous Zurich notebook, which documents the pivotal steps toward general relativity, is reproduced here for the first time and transcribed in its entirety. The volumes offer detailed commentaries and analyses of these sources that are based on a close reading of these documents supplemented by interpretations by the leading historians of relativity. All in all, the facets of this work, based on more than a decade of research, combine to constitute one of the most in-depth studies of a scientific revolution ever written.
- Autorenportrait
InhaltsangabeVol. 1. Einstein's Zurich Notebook, Introduction and Source Preface Introduction to Volumes 1 and 2: The Zurich Notebook and the Genesis of General Relativity Michel Janssen, John Norton, Jürgen Renn, Tilman Sauer, and John Stachel Classical Physics in Disarray (Jürgen Renn) The First Two Acts (John Stachel) Pathways out of Classical Physics (Jürgen Renn, Tilman Sauer) Einstein's Zurich Notebook Vol. 2: Einstein's Zurich Notebook, Commentary and Essays Michel Janssen, John Norton, Jürgen Renn, Tilman Sauer, and John Stachel Commentary on the Notes on Gravity in the Zurich Notebook What was Einstein's 'Fateful Prejudice'? (John D.Norton) What Did Einstein Know and When Did He Know It? A Besso Memo Dated August 1913 (Michel Janssen) Untying the Knot: How Einstein Found His Way Back to Field Equations Discarded in the Zurich Notebook (Jürgen Renn and Michel Janssen) Index Vol. 3: Gravitation in the Twilight of Classical Physics, Between Mechanics, Field Theory, and Astronomy Jürgen Renn and Matthias Schemmel (eds.) The Gravitational Force between Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Astronomy The Third Way to General Relativity: Einstein and Mach in Context (Jürgen Renn) Gravitation (Jonathan Zenneck ) Considerations Concerning Gravitation (Hendrik A. Lorentz ) Absolute or Relative Motion? (Benedict and Immanuel Friedländer) On Absolute and Relative Motion (August Föppl ) An Astronomical Road to a New Theory of Gravitation The Continuity between Classical and Relativistic Cosmology in the Work of Karl Schwarzschild (Matthias Schemmel) Things at Rest in the Universe ( Karl Schwarzschild ) A New Law of Gravitation Enforced by Special Relativity Breaking in the 4-Vectors: The Four-Dimensional Movement in Gravitation1905-1910(Scott Walter) On the Dynamics of the Electron: Introduction (Henri Poincaré) Mechanics and the Relativity Postulate (Hermann Minkowski) Old and New Questions of Physics (Hendrik A. Lorentz) The Problem of Gravitation as a Challenge for the Minkowski Formalism The Summit Almost Scaled: Max Abraham as a Pioneer of a Relativistic Theory of Gravitation (Jürgen Renn) On the Theory of Gravitation (Max Abraham) The Free Fall (Max Abraham) A New Theory of Gravitation (Max Abraham) Recent Theories of Gravitation (Max Abraham) A Field Theory of Gravitation in the Framework of Special Relativity Einstein, Nordström and the Early Demise of Scalar, Lorentz Covariant Theories of Gravitation (John D. Norton) The Principle of Relativity and Gravitation (Gunnar Nordström) Inertial and Gravitational Mass in Relativistic Mechanics (Gunnar Nordström) On the Theory of Gravitation from the Standpoint of the Principle of Relativity (Gunnar Nordström) On the Present State of the Problem of Gravitation (Albert Einstein) From Heretical Mechanics to a New Theory of Relativity Einstein and Mach's Principle (Julian B.Barbour) On the Relativity Problem (Albert Einstein) Ether and the Theory of Relativity (Albert Einstein) Vol 4. Gravitation in the Twilight of Classical Physics: The Promise of Mathematics (Jürgen Renn and Matthias Schemmel (eds.) From an Electromagnetic Theory of Matter to a New Theory of Gravitation Mie's Theories of Matter and Gravitation (Christopher Smeenk, Christopher Martin, ) Foundations of a Theory of Matter (Gustav Mie) Remarks Concerning Einstein's Theory of Gravitation (Gustav Mie) The Principle about the Relativity of the Gravitational Potential (Gustav Mie) The Momentum-Energy-Law in the Electrodynamics of Gustav Mie (Max
The transition from classical to modern physics in the ?rst half of the twentieth c- tury by quantum and relativity theories affected some of the most fundamental notions of physical thinking, such as matter, radiation, space, and time. This tran- tion thus represents a challenge for any attempt to understand the structures of a s- enti?c revolution. The present four-volume work aims at a comprehensive account of the way in which the work of Albert Einstein and his contemporaries changed our understanding of space, time, and gravitation. The conceptual framework of classical nineteenth-century physics had to be fundamentally restructured and reinterpreted in order to arrive at a theory of gravitation compatible with the new notions of space and time established in 1905 by Einstein¿s special theory of relativity. Whereas the classical theory of gravitation postulated an instantaneous action at a distance, Einstein¿s new relativistic kinematics rather suggested an analogy between the gravitational ?eld and the electromagnetic ?eld, propagating with a ?nite speed. It is therefore not surprising that Einstein was not alone in addressing the problem of formulating a theory of gravitation that complies with the kinematics of relativity t- ory. The analysis of these alternative approaches, as well as of earlier alternative approaches to gravitation within classical physics, turns out to be crucial for identi- ing the necessities and contingencies in the actual historical development.
