EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 1

EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Lot 71
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 50 400
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794556
Lot 71 | EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
Estimate value
£ 40 000 – 60 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Autograph manuscript, section 3 of a paper on unified field theory, 'Spezialisierte Feldgleichungen für ein Feld, das einer Symmetriebedingung genügt' (Specialised field equations for a field satisfying a symmetry condition), n.p., n.d. [before 23 August 1943]

In German. One page, 277 x 214mm, including seven mathematical formulae, foliated '8' at upper right.



On the 'gravitational equations of the infinitesimal theory of relativity': the genesis of Einstein's final approach to unified field theory. An unpublished autograph draft relating to Einstein's work with mathematical bivectors: exceptionally rare in private hands.



The manuscript opens with a section number '3', and the sub-title 'Specialised field equations for a field satisfying a symmetry condition', and goes on:



The gravitational equations of the infinitesimal theory of relativity can be characterised as follows.

1). The conditions Riklw=0 for the Euclidean space are formed from the G of the affine linkage and the equations Ril=0 by weakening (extracting) these equations

2). It is required that the G can be derived from a symmetric tensor.



In the case of the bivector theory, (8) is the condition for the “flat” space. We choose equations (8b) as the equations which result from this by weakening. There is a certain arbitrariness in this. In the earlier paper, the trace equation (9) was chosen instead; it would also be possible to use (8a) as a basis.



Second, we specialise the field by assuming that the field satisfies one of the symmetry conditions developed in section 2...



Einstein goes on to retranscribe the field equation in two different ways, before proposing further permutations of two terms within the equation. He concludes that in a symmetrical field (whose formula he gives), 'the equation (16) has 6 individual equations, but in the case of the antisymmetric field it has 10 individual equations. This corresponds precisely to the fact that, according to section 2, the symmetrical field 6 and the antisymmetrical field 10 have components that are independent of one another'.



Einstein had submitted two articles on 'Bivector Fields' to Annals of Mathematics (received 23 August 1943, published in Second Series, Vol. 45, No. 1 (January 1944), pp. 1-14 and 15-23). These were his only papers on unified field theory to be published during World War II, and marked a decisive shift to the more purely mathematical approach to unified field theory which was to dominate his last years. Where previously he had concentrated on redefining the geometry and dimensions of the space-time continuum, Einstein explains in the introduction to the first article that he now proposes to retain the four-dimensional space-time continuum and general covariance of general relativity, but replace the Riemannian metric (the symmetric tensor gik) which defines the structure of the physical continuum with an approach based on bivectors: these view a field as a composite product of two vectors, and Einstein uses them to generate both the symmetric and antisymmetric cases of a 4 x 4 tensor matrix. In the introduction to the second article, Einstein suggests that his new theory 'shows marked analogies with that of the Riemannian metric', with the difference being that the new fundamental field variables, unlike the gik of Riemann, 'depend on the coordinates of two points'. The present article is a discarded draft for section 3 of the second paper, which shares its title but is itself much shorter and more focused in scope.





Special notice


This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2022 – 13.07.2022
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
On his family's applications for U.S. citizenship
On his family's applications for U.S. citizenship
$100

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.
?>