Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - photo 1
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - photo 2
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - photo 3

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Lot 340
15.12.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 100
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1109142
Lot 340 | Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Estimate value
£ 8 000 – 12 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Autograph letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Cornelius Lanczos, n.p., 18 March 1947
In German. Three pages, 279 x 216mm, on two leaves, including nine lines (one cancelled) of scientific calculations, with further terms within the text. Provenance: Sotheby's, 26 November 1980, lot 165.

A long scientific letter on gravitational field equations. Einstein thanks Lanczos for a letter (apparently of congratulations, perhaps on his birthday four days previously), but chides him for his 'excessive appreciation of my scientific efforts. As an old reader of Freud, I am afraid of the "father complex" that can so easily take hold with such an attitude'. Turning to scientific matters, Einstein admits that 'I don't like P-geometry after struggling with it 25 years ago. A major evil here is that one is forced to introduce a "cosmological term" which, according to the derivation, cannot be made 0. But then “flat space” was excluded as a solution (even in the pure gravitational case), which I find unnatural. I don't see any justification for the tensor, which is the geometrically simpler structure because you cannot get by with a symmetrical Γ-system. It is also not the case that the transition to Γ as starting variables would make it easier to restrict the choice of the Hamilton function'. Einstein goes on to focus on the 'real difficulty': 'As long as there is no possibility of enlarging the group, the field equations are largely arbitrary, since the symmetrical and anti-symmetrical parts transform without mixing. This is still the case, whether one chooses the g or the Γ as initial sizes (structure)'. Einstein provides the equation which seems to him the best starting point: 'These equations are the simplest ones that match with their hermetically conjugated counterparts'. He then restates the equations in accordance with the 'Hamilton principle (with real Hamilton function)'. Lanczos's suggestion of introducing 'quantities that correspond to the q and p of mechanics' brings in an old line of reasoning Einstein himself pursued: he sets out the equations and the two different forms which result from partial integration: but concludes 'I do not however believe that these are sensible equations', explaining his reasoning. In short, he has greater trust in the first set of equations: 'But the problem remains that the group alone does not provide enough clues for the choice of field equations'. In a first postscript, Einstein hopes that Lanczos's fears about losing his academic position are unfounded: 'Perhaps the chauvinistic wave is nearly over'. A second postscript returns to the mathematical argument of the main body of the letter, arguing that the second set of equations give a weaker outcome than that produced by Maxwell's system. 'In my system (with additional conditions) one has four equations of the first order and four of the third order with two identities. This is naturally better'.
Artist:Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
Place of origin:Germany, Switzerland, USA
Auction house category:Medicine & science
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
09.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
10.12.2023 12:00 – 17:00
11.12.2023 09:00 – 20:00
12.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
13.12.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

A signed photograph
A signed photograph
$100
"Demostracion de la no existencia de campos gravitacionales sin singularidades de masa total no nula"
$5 500
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
$100
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£18 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£8 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£7 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£40 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
£70 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.