Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation: A selection of material from the essays submitted in the competition for the Eugene Higgins prize of $5,000 — John Shaqi
Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation: A selection of material from the essays submitted in the competition for the Eugene Higgins prize of $5,000Bird, J. Malcolm (James Malcolm)
Philosophy
Einstein's Theories of Relativity and Gravitation: A selection of material from the essays submitted in the competition for the Eugene Higgins prize of $5,000
Bird, J. Malcolm (James Malcolm)
Relativity (Physics)
"We are assured with complete certainty that the competition for the
five-thousand-dollar prize will be very keen, and that many essays
will be submitted which, if they bore the names of their authors, would
pass anywhere as authoritative statements. The judges will confront a
task of extraordinary difficulty in the effort to determine which of
these efforts is the best; and we believe the difficulties are such
that multiplication of judges would merely multiply the obstacles to
an agreement. It is altogether likely that the initial impressions
of two or three or five judges would incline toward two or three
or five essays, and that any final decision would be attainable
only after much consultation and discussion. It seems to us that by
making the committee as small as possible while still preserving the
necessary feature that its decision represent a consensus, we shall
simplify both the mental and the physical problem of coming to an
agreement. We believe that the award should if possible represent
a unanimous decision, without any minority report, and that such a
requirement is far more likely to be met among two men than among
three or five. At the same time, the bringing together of two men and
the details of general administration of their work together are far
simpler than if there were three or five. So we have finally decided
to have but two judges, and in this we have the endorsement of all
the competent opinion that we have consulted.
"The gentlemen who have consented to act as Judges are Professors
Leigh Page and Edwin Plimpton Adams, of the departments of physics
of Yale and Princeton Universities, respectively. Both are of the
younger generation of physicists that has paid special attention to
those phases of mathematics and physics involved in the Einstein
theories, and both have paid special attention to these theories
themselves. We are gratified to be able to put forward as Judges
two men so eminently qualified to act. We feel that we may here
appropriately quote Professor Page, who says in his acceptance:
'As the large prize offers a great inducement, I had thought of
entering the contest. However I realize that not many people in
this country have made a considerable study of Einstein's theory,
and if all who have should enter the contest, it would be difficult
to secure suitable Judges.' Without any desire to put the gentleman
in the position of pleading for himself, we think this suggests very
well the extent to which the Scientific American, the contestants,
and the public at large, are indebted to Professors Page and Adams
for their willingness to serve in the difficult capacity of Judges."
It might appropriately have been added to this announcement that it
was altogether to the credit of science and the scientific spirit
that the first two gentlemen approached with the invitation to act
as Judges were willing to forego their prospects as contestants in
order thus to contribute to the success of the contest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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