Albert Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity: Emergence (1905) and Early Interpretation (1905-1911)

484 Pages·1997·24.3 MB·English

by  Arthur I. Miller

A L B E R T E I N S T E I N
S P E C I A L T H E O R Y
O F R E L A T I V I T Y
Emergence (1905) and
Early Interpretation (1905-1911)
Springer
This book analyzes one of the three great papers Einstein published in 1905,
each of which would alter forever the field it dealt with. The second of these
papers, “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,” had an impact in a much
broader field than electrodynamics: it established what Einstein sometimes
referred to (after 1906) as the “so-called Theory of Relativity.” Miller uses the
paper to provide a window into the intense intellectual struggles of physicists in
the first decade of the twentieth century: the interplay between physical theory
and empirical data, the fiercely held notions that could not be articulated clear­
ly or verified experimentally, the great intellectual investment in existing theories,
data, and interpretations—and associated intellectual inertia—and the drive to
the long-sought-for unification of the sciences.
Since its original publication, this book has become a standard reference and
sourcebook for the history and philosophy of science; however, it can equally
well serve as a text in the history of ideas or of twentieth-century philosophy.
From reviews of the previous edition:
[Miller] has written a superb, perhaps definitive, historical study of Einstein’s
special theory of relativity.... One comes away from the book with a respect for
both the creative genius of the man and his nerve: he simply brushed aside
much of the work that was going on around him.
—The New Yorker
Dr. Miller presents [the] story in full scholarly regalia, with mathematical equa­
tions and lengthy (and often fascinating) footnotes. Yet the rigorous format can­
not disguise the fact that he has written an artful, illuminating, and invigorating
study of the thinking of the greatest mind of our time.
—The New York Times
The happy balance of technical physics, history, and ... anecdote reminds ...
[one of] Whittaker’s A History of the Theories of /Ether and Electricity.... This
detailed, authoritative, and interestingly written work should serve [its] purpose
well and become a standard reference in the process.
—American Journal of Physics
ISBN 0-387-94870-8

A lbert Einstein’s Special Theory o f R elativity
Springer
New York
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Other books by Arthur I. Miller
Insights of Genius: Imagery and Creativity in Science and Art
Early Quantum Electrodynamics: A Source Book
Sixty-Two Years of Uncertainty: Historical, Philosophical, and Physical
Inquiries into the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (edited volume)
Imagery in Scientific Thought: Creating 20th Century Physics
Frontiers of Physics 1900-1911: Selected Essays
Arthur I. Miller
Albert Einstein's
Special Theory o f Relativity
Emergence (1905) and
Early Interpretation (1905-1911)
Includes a translation by A.I. Miller of A. Einstein’s
“On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies”
With 74 Figures
Springer
Arthur I. Miller
Professor and Head
Department of Science & Technology
Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
England
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miller, Arthur I.
Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity : Emergence (1905)
and early interpretation, (1905-1911) / Arthur I. Miller,
p. cm.
Previously published: Reading, M ass.: Addison-Wesley Pub.,
Advanced Book Program, 1981.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-387-94870-8 (softcover: alk. paper)
1. Relativity (Physics)—History. 2. Physics—History.
3. Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955. 4. Physicists—Biography.
I. Tide.
QC173.52.M54 1997
530.1'1 '09—dc20 96-38279
Printed on acid-free paper.
© 1998 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.
All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the writ­
ten permission of the publisher (Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
10010, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in
connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer soft­
ware, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc., in this publication, even if the
former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by
the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone.
Production managed by Terry Komak; manufacturing supervised by Joe Quatela.
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Printed in the United States of America.
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To
Lori, Scott, and Joshua

Preface
Midway into the most productive period of his life, 1902-1909, Albert Einstein
wrote his first paper on electrodynamics entitled, “On the Electrodynamics of
Moving Bodies .” In 1905 the young scientist’s intent, however, was not to develop
electrodynamics as it was customarily interpreted, but to criticize it and then to
propose a new basis for it. This he later referred to as the relativity theory, and
the paper on electrodynamics became known as the relativity paper. Page for
page Einstein’s relativity paper is unparalleled in the history of science in its
depth, breadth, and sheer intellectual virtuosity. Although the consequences of the
special relativity theory changed man’s very view of his relation to the cosmos, this
occurred neither immediately upon its publication, nor for several years afterward.
This book is both a biography and an analysis of the relativity paper set within its
historical context.
First as a student of physics, and then as a physicist, what struck me force­
fully about the relativity paper was how Einstein had developed one of the most
far-reaching theories in physics in a literary and scientific style that was parsimo­
nious, yet not lacking in essentials; in a pace that, whenever necessary, possessed
a properly slow cadence, yet was not devoid of crescendos and tours de force. It
seemed as if Einstein’s seminal paper on the relativity theory contained virtually
everything the advanced undergraduate student needed for learning the basics of
relativity theory—e.g., the relativity of simultaneity. On another level, for the ma­
ture physicist it could draw out in strong relief, and tie together, the fundamentals
of the relativistic approach to mechanics and electrodynamics that more advanced
texts clothe in elegant mathematics. My transition, some years ago, from physicist
to historian of science owed itself in large part to my desire to know more about
the relativity paper and its author. Through pursuance of the themes that underlay