Did David Hilbert beat Einstein to Relativity?

[kramer733]

Heard that from one of my math teachers. He said that they were both independently working on relativity but because einstein's mail got to the publishers first, he got the credit for it.

 

[George Jones]

See

http://www.ias.ac.in/jarch/jaa/20/91-101%20.pdf .

 

[bcrowell]

There seems to be an extensive literature on this, which you can find by googling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hilbert#Physics
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/278/5341/1270.abstract
http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0504179
http://www.ias.ac.in/jarch/jaa/20/91-101%20.pdf

 

[atyy]

Hmmm, so it seems that there is no debate that the Hilbert action was first (as judged by date of receipt)?

The only debate is about the field equations, which can be derived from the Hilbert action?

 

[PAllen]

Hmmm, so it seems that there is no debate that the Hilbert action was first (as judged by date of receipt)?

The only debate is about the field equations, which can be derived from the Hilbert action?

That is my understanding. However, it is also my understanding that Einstein initially did not care for derivation from an action, and such an approach had no part in how he derived the field equations. Since the variation of the action is not trivial (though it may seem so decades later), there is also no evidence that Hilbert wrote down field equations before Einstein.

I think a fair summary might be:

1) Hilbert first wrote a correct action, but attached restrictions to it that made it not a covariant theory.

2) Einstein first wrote the field equations (with fully covariant treatment), but did not know, they could be derived from the Hilbert action.

3 Seeing Einstein's final covariant field equations, Hilbert realized they could be derived from his action, and the whole approach made covariant.

4) Later, Einstein accepted the superiority of deriving the field equations form an action.

Also obvious is that Hilbert was able to contribute as he did only by virtue of the presentations Einstein gave him.

 

[atyy]

That is my understanding. However, it is also my understanding that Einstein initially did not care for derivation from an action, and such an approach had no part in how he derived the field equations. Since the variation of the action is not trivial (though it may seem so decades later), there is also no evidence that Hilbert wrote down field equations before Einstein.

I think a fair summary might be:

1) Hilbert first wrote a correct action, but attached restrictions to it that made it not a covariant theory.

2) Einstein first wrote the field equations (with fully covariant treatment), but did not know, they could be derived from the Hilbert action.

3 Seeing Einstein's final covariant field equations, Hilbert realized they could be derived from his action, and the whole approach made covariant.

4) Later, Einstein accepted the superiority of deriving the field equations form an action.

Also obvious is that Hilbert was able to contribute as he did only by virtue of the presentations Einstein gave him.

How serious were Hilbert's initial restrictions that made the theory non-covariant - could they be seen as just gauge fixing? Or do they lead to equations that are simply incorrect?