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)
(b) The independence of natural, i.e., physical, laws of their
mathematical mode of expression. Thus, when an equation is written down
as the expression of a physical law it must be satisfied, no matter
what units we choose in order to measure the quantities occurring in
the equation. As our physics teacher used to say "the expression of the
law must have in every term the same dimensions." More than this the
choice of the quantities used to express the law--if there be a choice
open--must have no effect on its correctness. As we were told--"all
physical laws are capable of expression as relations between vectors or
else as relations between magnitudes of the same dimensions." We shall
hope to make this clearer in its proper place in the essay, as its
obvious generalization is Einstein's cardinal principle of relativity.
The measurements which an experimental physicist makes are always the
expression of a coincidence of two points in space at the same time. If
we ask such an experimenter what he means by a point in space he tells
us that, for him, the term has no meaning until he has a material
body with reference to which he can locate the point by measurements;
in general it requires three measurements and he expresses this by
saying that space has three dimensions. He measures his distance,
as a rule, parallel to three mutually perpendicular lines fixed in
the material body--a Cartesian reference-frame so-called. So that a
"point in space" is equivalent to a given material reference-frame
and three numbers or coordinates. If, for any reason, we prefer to
use a new material reference-frame the coordinates or measurements
will change and, if we know the relative positions of the two material
reference-frames, there is a definite relation between the two sets of
three coordinates which is termed a transformation of coordinates. But
which particular material reference-frame shall we use? The first
choice would, we think, be that attached to the earth. But, even yet,
we are in doubt as there are numberless Cartesian frameworks attached
to the earth (as to any material body) and it is here that our idea
(b) begins to function. We say it must be immaterial which of these
Cartesian frames we use. In each frame a vector has three components
and when we change from one frame to another the components change
in such a way that if two vectors have their three components equal
in one framework they will be equal in any other attached to the
same material system. So our idea (b), which says that our physical
equations must be vector equations, is equivalent to saying that the
choice of the framework attached to any given material body can have
no effect on the mode of expression of a natural law.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account