EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 1
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 2
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 3
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 4

EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Lot 154
11.12.2024 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 10 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 1349719
Lot 154 | EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
Estimate value
£ 10 000 – 15 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
‘Zur Theorie der Brownschen Bewegung.’ Offprint from: Annalen der Physik, 4th series, vol. 19, no. 2, pp.371-381. Leipzig: Barth, 1906
Extremely rare first edition, author’s offprint issue, of Einstein’s paper providing a detailed mathematical framework for his work on Brownian Motion, from the library of the pioneering theoretical physicist Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951). In 1905, Einstein‘s paper 'Über die von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der Wärme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden Flüssigkeiten suspendierten Teilchen' (see lot 149) laid the groundwork for the theoretical explanation of Brownian motion. This included providing the first statistical physics analysis of Brownian motion proving the reality of atoms and molecules, offering a way to estimate Avogadro's constant, and establishing the connection between particle displacement, temperature, viscosity, and particle size.

The following year, Einstein published the present lot, a follow-up paper expanding on the concepts introduced in the 1905 paper and providing a more detailed mathematical treatment of Brownian Motion. In this paper, Einstein introduced the concept of the mean square displacement, provided a more rigorous derivation of the diffusion equation and expanded on the relationship between diffusion and particle size.

Arnold Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to atomic and quantum physics. He extended Niels Bohr's atomic model by introducing elliptical orbits for electrons and proposed additional quantum numbers, including the azimuthal and magnetic quantum numbers. Sommerfeld also introduced the fine-structure constant, contributed to X-ray wave theory, and co-discovered the Sommerfeld-Wilson quantization rules. His seminal work ‘Atombau und Spektrallinien’ became a foundational text for the new generation of physicists developing atomic and quantum physics. Sommerfeld was an exceptional educator, mentoring 7 Nobel Prize winners and numerous other prominent physicists. Despite being nominated for the Nobel Prize a record 84 times, he never received the award. Nevertheless, he was honoured with several prestigious accolades, including the Lorentz Medal, the Max-Planck Medal, and the Oersted Medal, and was elected to numerous scientific academies worldwide. In 1918, Sommerfeld succeeded Einstein as chair of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, and in 1922 Einstein wrote to his successor: ‘What I especially admire about you is that you have, as it were, pounded out of the soil such a large number of young talents’ (A. Pais, ‘Subtle is the Lord...’: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein, 1982).

This author's offprint can be distinguished from the normal 'trade' edition by the statement 'Überreicht vom Verfasser' on the wrapper. Extremely rare; we have not been able to trace any copy appearing at auction (RBH/ABSAA). BRL 13; Weil *11.

Octavo (225 x 147mm). Publisher's printed wrappers (faint uneven dust-soiling at head of upper wrapper). Provenance: Arnold Sommerfeld (red chinagraph numbering and underlining on upper wrapper, pencil crossing out to equations on pp.374, 376 and one letter added in ink to equation on p.375).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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11.12.2024 – 11.12.2024
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