The Judges

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 Judges

The Judges

In the Scientific American for September 18, announcement was carried in the following words:

“We are assured with complete certainty that the competition for the five-thousand-dollar prize will be very keen, and that many essays will be submitted which, if they bore the names of their authors, would pass anywhere as authoritative statements. The judges will confront a task of extraordinary difficulty in the effort to determine which of these efforts is the best; and we believe the difficulties are such that multiplication of judges would merely multiply the obstacles to an agreement. It is altogether likely that the initial impressions of two or three or five judges would incline toward two or three or five essays, and that any final decision would be attainable only after much consultation and discussion. It seems to us that by making the committee as small as possible while still preserving the necessary feature that its decision represent a consensus, we shall simplify both the mental and the physical problem of coming to an agreement. We believe that the award should if possible represent a unanimous decision, without any minority report, and that such a requirement [6]is far more likely to be met among two men than among three or five. At the same time, the bringing together of two men and the details of general administration of their work together are far simpler than if there were three or five. So we have finally decided to have but two judges, and in this we have the endorsement of all the competent opinion that we have consulted.

“The gentlemen who have consented to act as Judges are Professors Leigh Page and Edwin Plimpton Adams, of the departments of physics of Yale and Princeton Universities, respectively. Both are of the younger generation of physicists that has paid special attention to those phases of mathematics and physics involved in the Einstein theories, and both have paid special attention to these theories themselves. We are gratified to be able to put forward as Judges two men so eminently qualified to act. We feel that we may here appropriately quote Professor Page, who says in his acceptance: ‘As the large prize offers a great inducement, I had thought of entering the contest. However I realize that not many people in this country have made a considerable study of Einstein’s theory, and if all who have should enter the contest, it would be difficult to secure suitable Judges.’ Without any desire to put the gentleman in the position of pleading for himself, we think this suggests very well the extent to which the Scientific American, the contestants, and the public at large, are indebted to Professors Page and Adams for their willingness to serve in the difficult capacity of Judges.”

It might appropriately have been added to this [7]announcement that it was altogether to the credit of science and the scientific spirit that the first two gentlemen approached with the invitation to act as Judges were willing to forego their prospects as contestants in order thus to contribute to the success of the contest.

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