RE: [asa] Scientific Mysteries

Any idea why Einstein originally considered Lemaitre's GR work inferior?
Einstein, apparently, stated: "Vos calculs sont corrects, mais votre
physique est abominable" (Your math is correct, but your physics is
abominable).

[per Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Lema%C3%AEtre]

[Sometimes it seems people underestimate the Georges of this world. *wink*]

"Coope"

From: George Murphy [mailto:GMURPHY10@neo.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 8:34 AM
To: Alexanian, Moorad; George Cooper; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] Scientific Mysteries

I'm not sure of the temporal priorities but doubt that Hilbert would have
been pursuing the appropriate line of thought if it hadn't been for
Einstein's work.

Pauli's note on this in his well known book is interesting. "At the same
time as Einstein, and independently, Hilbert, formulated the generally
covariant field equations. ... His presentation, though, would not seem to
be acceptable to physicists, for two reasons. First, the existence of a
variational principle is assumed as an axiom. Secondly, of more importance,
the field equations are not derived for an arbitrary system of matter, but
are specifically based on Mie's theory of matter." Most theorists today I
think would be a bit baffled by the 1st criticism.

BTW, this all helps to show the absurdity of the statement that "only six
men in the world understand Einstein," not just today but at the time it was
made ~1919. You can just go through the references in Pauli's book & find
names of over a dozen people who had published on general relativity by
then. (Someone once asked Eddington if it was true that only 3 people in
the world undertood relativity & he said - jokingly - "Who is the third?")

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

----- Original Message -----

From: Alexanian, Moorad <mailto:alexanian@uncw.edu>

To: George Murphy <mailto:GMURPHY10@neo.rr.com> ; George
<mailto:georgecooper@sbcglobal.net> Cooper ; asa@calvin.edu

Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 11:42 AM

Subject: RE: [asa] Scientific Mysteries

What was the contribution of David Hilbert to general relativity? I read
where Einstein was consulting Hilbert on what Hilbert was doing and, in
fact, Hilbert published the equations of general relativity before Einstein
did.

Moorad

From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of George Murphy
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 11:26 AM
To: George Cooper; asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] Scientific Mysteries

"Gravitation is just the universe trying to straighten itself out" (E.
Whittaker).

(Something of an inside joke. The gravitational Lagrangian in Einstein's
theory to be used in the principle of stationary action [sometimes
inaccurately called "least action"] is the curvature scalar of space-time.)

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/

----- Original Message -----

From: George Cooper <mailto:georgecooper@sbcglobal.net>

To: asa@calvin.edu

Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 10:53 AM

Subject: RE: [asa] Scientific Mysteries

Oh, I almost forgot.

Gravity, what is it?

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Received on Fri Jun 13 14:05:22 2008