Incidents in the history of SR

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In summary, despite lacking citations, Einstein's 1905 paper is still considered a highly influential work in the field of physics.
  • #1
tade
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I'm curious about two things. Why did Einstein's 1905 paper contain no citations? Nowadays most papers have one or two pages full of citations, I don't know about back then but he must have had a few.

Secondly, Einstein willed some of his Nobel money to his wife Maric. But that was a year or two before he received the prize. Somewhat strange.
 
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  • #2
In his paper, "Über einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt", der Physik 17 (6): 132–148, Einstein cited Planck, Lenard and Stark.

In his third ("Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper", Annalen der Physik 17 (10): 891–921.) and fourth ( "Ist die Trägheit eines Körpers von seinem Energieinhalt abhängig?", Annalen der Physik 18 (13): 639–641.) papers of 1905, Einstein refers to the Maxwell-Hertz equations, and in the third refers to Lorentz's theory of electrodynamics. Perhaps since the equations were so well known to the readers, it is not necessary to provide a citation. Otherwise, the work is radically new, original and unprecedented, and there is no additional references.

Also in the third paper, Einstein acknowledges help and contribution from a colleague, M. Besso, although the specifics are not mentioned.
 
  • #3
I guess Lorentz's theories must've been pretty well-known for Einstein to mention but not cite it.

Or maybe he just forgot. :blushing:
 
  • #4
tade said:
I'm curious about two things. Why did Einstein's 1905 paper contain no citations? Nowadays most papers have one or two pages full of citations, I don't know about back then but he must have had a few.

Secondly, Einstein willed some of his Nobel money to his wife Maric. But that was a year or two before he received the prize. Somewhat strange.

No citations. You'd have to ask him why. Everything he discussed was pretty well known, so I guess he felt they were unnecessary.

Einstein had two children and divorced. Part of the settlement was that his wife would get the Nobel money. It was no surprise when he was awarded it.
 
  • #5
ImaLooser said:
No citations. You'd have to ask him why. Everything he discussed was pretty well known, so I guess he felt they were unnecessary.

Yeah, I mentioned that in the previous post.


ImaLooser said:
Einstein had two children and divorced. Part of the settlement was that his wife would get the Nobel money. It was no surprise when he was awarded it.

No surprise when he was awarded.

But he managed to predict when quite accurately. 'twas probably a close-knit phys community at that time.
 

1. What is special relativity (SR)?

Special relativity is a scientific theory developed by Albert Einstein that explains how the laws of physics work in different frames of reference. It is based on the idea that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion.

2. What are some key incidents in the history of SR?

One key incident in the history of special relativity is Einstein's publication of his paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" in 1905, which introduced the theory to the world. Another important incident was the famous Michelson-Morley experiment in 1887, which provided evidence for the constancy of the speed of light and paved the way for Einstein's theory.

3. How does special relativity differ from classical mechanics?

Special relativity differs from classical mechanics in several ways, including the concept of time dilation, the equivalence of mass and energy, and the idea that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial reference frames. Additionally, special relativity accounts for the effects of gravity on space and time, while classical mechanics does not.

4. What are some real-world applications of special relativity?

Special relativity has many real-world applications, including GPS technology, particle accelerators, and nuclear energy. The theory also plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of particles at high speeds, such as in particle collisions or in cosmic rays.

5. Are there any limitations to the theory of special relativity?

While special relativity has been extremely successful in explaining many phenomena in the universe, it does have some limitations. For example, the theory does not account for the effects of gravity on a large scale, which led to the development of general relativity. Additionally, special relativity only applies to inertial frames of reference and cannot be used to describe non-inertial frames, such as accelerating objects.

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