The First Theory of Relativity

Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation by Albert Einstein, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. The First Theory of Relativity

The First Theory of Relativity

The whole question of the ether had arrived at [247]this very interesting point when Professor Einstein in 1905 stated the theory of relativity. He had noticed that the equations of dynamics as formulated by Newton did not admit the Lorentz transformation, but only the simple Galilean transformation:

Here, indeed, was a curious situation. Two physical principles, that of dynamics and that of electromagnetism, were coexistent and yet each one admitted a different transformation when the system of reference was transferred to axes moving with constant velocity with respect to the ether.

Now the electromagnetic equations and their transformation had been shown to be in accord with experimental fact, whereas it had long been felt that Newton’s equations were only a first approximation to the truth. For example, the elliptic orbit of a planet had been observed by Leverrier to exhibit a disquieting tendency to rotate in the direction of motion. This precession, which in the case of Mercury was as large as 43″ per century, could not be accounted for in any way by the ordinary Newtonian laws and was, consequently, a very celebrated case of discordance in gravitational astronomy.

With this example clearly before him, Einstein took the great step and said that the laws of dynamics and all other physical laws had to be remade so that they, also, admit the Lorentz transformation. That is to say,

The laws of physical phenomena, or rather the mathematical expressions for these laws, are covariant [248](unchanged in form) when we apply the Lorentz transformation to them.

The deductions from the Michelson-Morley experiment now seem to have reached their ultimate conclusion.

One discordant fact in this new theory remained, however. That same precession of the perihelion of Mercury which had first lead Einstein to his theory remained unsettled. When the new approximations were applied to the formula of orbital motion, a precession was, indeed, obtained, but the computed value fell considerably below that of the observed 43″ per century.

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This book is part of the public domain. Albert Einstein (2020). Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022.

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