538 DOCUMENT 455 JULY 1913 [6] By contrast, in summer semester 1913, which began 15 April at the ETH, Einstein lec- tured on the mechanics of continua (three hours a week) and on the molecular theory of heat (two hours a week), as well as conducting a physics seminar (two hours a week) and directing students in the physics institute together with Pierre Weiss (see ETH Programm 1913a, title page and p. 14). 455. To Jakob Laub [Zurich, 22 July 1913][1] Ihre Briefe aus dem wilden Westen[2] haben mich sehr erfreut. Dass ich nicht antwortete, kam daher, dass ich mich erbärmlich in das Gravitationspro- blem verbissen hatte. Nun aber bin ich seit ein paar Monaten durch.[3] Näch- stes Jahr muss die Sonnenfinsternis zeigen, ob ich mit den Grundhypothesen das Richtige getroffen habe.[4] Die entsprechende Verallgemeinerung der Re- lativitätstheorie ist gelungen.emdash Ich lese nächstes Semester über gemeine Elektrizitätstheorie, wahrscheinlich auch über Relativität.[5] Es ist dies wie- der einmal mein Abschiedssemester. Ostern gehe ich nämlich nach Berlin als Akademie-Mensch[6] ohne irgendeine Verpflichtung, quasi als lebendige Mu- mie. Ich freue mich sehr auf diesen schwierigen Beruf! Uebrigens bin ich von der Arbeit des letzten Jahres so hergenommen, dass mir etwas zu gönnen ist. TTrL (SzZE Bibliothek, Hs. 304:134). [75 118]. Transcribed by Carl Seelig. The document is identified as a letter in Seelig 1960, p. 245. [1]Date provided by the transcriber. [2]Buenos Aires, where LAUB was Professor of Physics at the National University of La Plata. [3]Einstein and Grossmann 1913 (Vol. 4, Doc. 13), which presented a theory for the dynam- ical gravitational field, was completed before the end of May (see Doc. 441) and appeared about a month later (see Doc. 448). See Vol. 4, the editorial note, "Einstein on Gravitation and Relativity: The Collaboration with Marcel Grossmann," for more on this paper. [4]The total solar eclipse in August 1914 (see Doc. 492) would make it possible to determine the positions of stars close to the sun, which would allow a test of Einstein's prediction of light deflection in a gravitational field. [5]In winter semester 1913/1914, which began 2 October at the ETH, Einstein lectured on electricity and magnetism (four hours a week) and on ray optics and diffraction (one hour a week), as well as conducting a physics seminar (two hours a week) and directing students in the physics institute together with Pierre Weiss (see ETH Programm 1913b, title page and pp. 15-16). Part of Einstein's lectures on special and general relativity (which concluded his course in electromagnetism) is presented in Vol. 4, Doc. 19. [6]Einstein was elected a member by the plenary session of the Prussian Academy of Sci- ences by a vote of forty-four to two on 24 July (see the minutes of the meeting of the plenum of this date, GyBAW, II-V, Vol. 89, item 10). The result was reported to the Prussian Ministry of Education four days later (see Max Planck et al. to Minister der geistlichen und Unterrichts- Angelegenheiten, 28 July 1913, GyMerSa, Rep. 76 Vc, Sekt. 2, Tit. 23, Litt. F, Nr. 2, Vol. 14, p. 80).
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