Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around locating ancient papers by Albert Einstein and Willem De Sitter, specifically from around 1916. Participants explore various sources and methods for accessing these historical documents, including journal archives and online collections.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant expresses difficulty in finding older papers by Einstein and De Sitter, noting that Google Scholar and local libraries have not been helpful.
- Another participant requests clarification on the references being used and suggests checking specific databases like Inspec.
- A participant shares that they found some papers through various online searches but is still seeking specific works by Einstein, including his 1916 paper on gravitation and his 1915 paper on the perihelion of Mercury.
- One participant mentions that the collected works of Einstein are being scanned and made available online, providing links to the collection and noting that much of the work is in German.
- Another participant points out that the digital versions of the papers are not available in the mentioned archive.
- Further, a participant provides links to specific scans of Einstein's papers and mentions a translation of the Mercury paper, while expressing uncertainty about the quality of the additional comments in that source.
- One participant thanks another for the helpful information and acknowledges finding a relevant paper they had previously overlooked.
- A final suggestion is made to check university libraries for complete collections of scientists' works.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on the availability of the papers, as some suggest potential sources while others indicate that specific papers are not available digitally. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best methods to access these historical documents.
Contextual Notes
Some participants mention limitations in their searches, including the language of the documents and the availability of digital versions. There is also uncertainty regarding the quality of certain sources provided.
