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<v Speaker 1>Section seven of the Einstein Theory of Relativity by Hendrik A. Lawnz.

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<v Speaker 1>This LibriVox recording is in the public domain recording by

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<v Speaker 1>AVAI in February twenty twenty. Difficulty exaggerated during a discussion

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<v Speaker 1>of the results obtained at a joint meeting of the

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<v Speaker 1>Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society held especially for

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<v Speaker 1>that purpose recently in London. It was the general opinion

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<v Speaker 1>that Einstein's prediction might be regarded as justified, and warm

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<v Speaker 1>tributes to his genius were made on all sides. Nevertheless,

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<v Speaker 1>I cannot refrain, while I am mentioning it, from expressing

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<v Speaker 1>my surprise that, according to the report in the Times,

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<v Speaker 1>there should be so much complaint about the difficulty of

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<v Speaker 1>understanding the new theory. It is evident that Einstein's little

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<v Speaker 1>book about the Special and the General theory of Relativity

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<v Speaker 1>in plain terms did not find its way into England

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<v Speaker 1>during war time. Any One reading it will, in my opinion,

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<v Speaker 1>come to the conclusion that the basic ideas of the

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<v Speaker 1>theory are really clear and simple. It is only to

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<v Speaker 1>be regretted that it was impossible to avoid clothing them

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<v Speaker 1>in pretty involved mathematical terms. But we must not worry

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<v Speaker 1>about that. I allow myself to add that as we

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<v Speaker 1>follow Einstein, we may retain much of what has been

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<v Speaker 1>formerly gained. The Newtonian theory remains in its full value

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<v Speaker 1>as the first great step, without which one cannot imagine

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<v Speaker 1>the development of astronomy, and without which the second step

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<v Speaker 1>that has now been made would hardly have been possible.

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<v Speaker 1>It remains, moreover, as the first and in most cases

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<v Speaker 1>sufficient approximation. It is true that according to Einstein's theory,

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<v Speaker 1>because it leaves us entirely free as to the way

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<v Speaker 1>in which we wish to represent the phenomena, we can

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<v Speaker 1>imagine an idea of the Solar system in which the

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<v Speaker 1>planets follow paths of peculiar form, and the rays of

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<v Speaker 1>light shine along sharply bent lines. Think of a twisted

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<v Speaker 1>and distorted planetarium. But in every case where we apply

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<v Speaker 1>it to concrete questions, we shall so arrange it that

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<v Speaker 1>the planets describe almost exact ellipses, and the rays of

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<v Speaker 1>light almost straight lines. It is not necessary to give

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<v Speaker 1>up entirely even the ether. Many natural philosophers find satisfaction

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<v Speaker 1>in the idea of a material intermediate substance in which

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<v Speaker 1>the vibrations of light take place, and they will very

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<v Speaker 1>probably be all the more inclined to imagine such a

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<v Speaker 1>medium when they learn that, according to the Einstein theory,

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<v Speaker 1>gravitation itself does not spread instantaneously, but with a velocity that,

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<v Speaker 1>at the first estimate may be compared with that of light,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in former years where such interpretations, current and repeated

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<v Speaker 1>attempts were made by speculations about the nature of the

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<v Speaker 1>ether and about the mutations and movements that might take

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<v Speaker 1>place in it, to arrive at a clear presentation of

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<v Speaker 1>electromagnetic phenomena and also of the functioning of gravitation. In

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<v Speaker 1>my opinion, it is not impossible that in the future

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<v Speaker 1>this road, indeed abandoned at present, will once more be

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<v Speaker 1>followed with good results, if only because it can lead

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<v Speaker 1>to the thinking out of new experimental tests. Einstein's theory

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<v Speaker 1>need not keep us from so doing. Only the ideas

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<v Speaker 1>about the ether must accord with it. Nevertheless, even without

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<v Speaker 1>the color and clearness that the ether theories and the

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<v Speaker 1>other models may be able to give, and even we

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<v Speaker 1>can feel it this way just because of the soberness

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<v Speaker 1>induced by their absence Einstein's work, we may now positively

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<v Speaker 1>expect will remain a monument of science. His theory entirely

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<v Speaker 1>fulfills the first and principal demand that we may make,

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<v Speaker 1>that of deducing the course of phenomena from certain principles

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<v Speaker 1>exactly and to the smallest details. It was certainly fortunate

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<v Speaker 1>that he himself put the ether in the background. If

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<v Speaker 1>he had not done so, he probably would never have

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<v Speaker 1>come upon the idea that has been the foundation of

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<v Speaker 1>all his examinations. Thanks to his indefatigable exertions and perseverance,

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<v Speaker 1>for he had great difficulties to overcome in his attempts,

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<v Speaker 1>Einstein has attained the results which I have tried to

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<v Speaker 1>sketch while still young. He is now forty five years old.

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<v Speaker 1>He completed his first investigations in Switzerland, where he first

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<v Speaker 1>was engaged in the patent bureau at bern and later

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<v Speaker 1>as a professor at the Polytechnic in Zurich. After having

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<v Speaker 1>been a professor for a short time at the University

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<v Speaker 1>of Prague, he settled in Berlin, where the Kaiser Wilhelm

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<v Speaker 1>Institute afforded him the opportunity to devote himself exclusively to

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<v Speaker 1>his scientific work. He repeatedly visited our country and made

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<v Speaker 1>his Netherland colleagues, among whom he counts many good friends,

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<v Speaker 1>partners in his studies and his results. He attended the

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<v Speaker 1>last meeting of the Department of Natural Philosophy of the

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<v Speaker 1>Royal Academy of Sciences, and the members then had the

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<v Speaker 1>privilege of hearing him explain in his own fascinating, clear

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<v Speaker 1>and simple way, his interpretations of the fundamental questions to

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<v Speaker 1>which his theory gives rise. End of section seven, end

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<v Speaker 1>of the Einstein Theory of Relativity. A concise statement by

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrik A. Lauranz. Thanks for listening.