Einstein & Light Deviation: Compute w/o Schwarzschild Metric

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SUMMARY

Einstein initially miscalculated the light deviation caused by Earth's gravitational field in 1908, underestimating it by a factor of 2. The accurate computation was achieved in 1915 using the weak field approximation, which disregarded terms smaller than the order of 1/c³. This breakthrough laid the groundwork for understanding gravitational lensing and the effects of gravity on light. For detailed calculations, refer to the resources provided in the discussion.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of general relativity principles
  • Familiarity with weak field approximation
  • Knowledge of light propagation in gravitational fields
  • Basic grasp of Einstein's theories and historical context
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the weak field approximation in detail
  • Explore the implications of gravitational lensing
  • Review Einstein's 1915 papers on general relativity
  • Investigate the historical context of Einstein's calculations
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, students of general relativity, and anyone interested in the historical development of gravitational theories and their implications on light behavior.

e2m2a
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How did Einstein compute the amount of light deviation due to the Earth's gravitational field when the Schwarzschild metric was not known yet?
 
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He didn't get it right at the first try, in fact in his first calculations in 1908 he was off by a factor of 2. The correct result was obtained 1915 using the weak field approximation where all terms smaller than the order of 1/c³ were neglected, see http://home.fnal.gov/~syphers/Education/Notes/lightbend.pdf
 
Last edited:
Yukterez said:
He didn't get it right at the first try, in fact in his first calculations in 1908 he was off by a factor of 2. The correct result was obtained 1915 using the weak field approximation, see http://home.fnal.gov/~syphers/Education/Notes/lightbend.pdf
ok. Thanks for the reference.
 
e2m2a said:
How did Einstein compute the amount of light deviation due to the Earth's gravitational field when the Schwarzschild metric was not known yet?
http://mathpages.com/rr/s8-09/8-09.htm
 
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