Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity: Emergence (1905) and Early Interpretation (1905-1911) / Edition 1

by Arthur I. Miller

Overview

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 20th century: the interplay between physical theory and empirical data, the fiercely held notions that could not be articulated clearly 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: ÄMillerÜ 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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780387948706
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	11/25/1997
Edition description:	1998
Pages:	446
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

1 Electrodynamics: 1890–1905.- 2 Einstein’s Philosophic Viewpoint in 1905.- 3 Analysis of Einstein’s Introductory Comments to “Zur Elektrodynamik Bewegter Körper”.- 4 Simultaneity and Time.- 5 Length and Time Are Relative Quantities.- 6 The Relativistic Transformations.- 7 The Relativity of Length and Time.- 8 The Theorem of Addition of Velocities.- 9 The Relativity of the Electric and Magnetic Fields.- 10 Doppler’s Principle and Stellar Aberration.- 11 Light Quanta, Radiation and Relativity.- 12 On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies.- Epilogue.

Editorial Reviews

From reviews of the previous edition: "Miller has written a superb, perhaps definitive, historical study of Einsteins 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

From the Publisher