Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - photo 1

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Starting price
£ 100
Auction dateClassic
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
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Archive
ID 1109135
Lot 333 | Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 29 September 1937
In German. One page, 288 x 215mm, including six scientific formulae, on lightweight paper. Provenance: Sotheby's, 26-27 November 1980, lot 159.

'A reasonable interpretation for the electric field must exist somehow'. Einstein plunges immediately into a scientific idea (on gravitational field theory) which Lanczos has sent him: 'Your tensor Bikn has according to your presentation the identity / Riklm = Biklm + L(Rik), / whereby L( ) means a linear formation using gik'. He follows through the consequences of applying the Bianchi operation to this equation, producing a new form 'whereby L again means a linear-homogenous formation. / From this can immediately be seen that your equations contain as solutions all solutions of the old gravitational equations. So this is a generalisation of the old gravitational equations through unique differentiation'. Lanczos's equations will form 'an overdetermined equation-system if they do not possess sufficiently numerous differential identities ... If independent identities do not exist in a sufficient number, this system is essentially no more general than the system Rik=0'. Einstein concludes by expressing his pleasure at Lanczos sending him these ideas: 'A reasonable interpretation for the electric field must exist somehow'.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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