2 0 D O C U M E N T 2 4 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 1
be said of his opponents in the
faculty.[4]
His wife is an extraordinarily profound,
worldly wise, and industrious person, a gem for
him.[5]
One evening I visited your
brother; I liked him very much as
well.[6]
I noticed how much he loves you and how
much he cares about your life and those close to you. What a pity that you can’t get
more out of each other. In Prague it was especially nice. Frank has married a very
nice Russian
(Jewish),[7]
with whom [he] leads a most charming bachelor’s exist-
ence. She is studying, rents a room, he lives at the
institute[8]
using a fold-up cot
that hides itself away during the day like a bat. I also was put up at the institute.
With Kraus I had a public-discussion evening, an exceedingly amusing circus per-
formance; but he was perfectly serious about
it.[9]
Then I had another talk in Dres-
den, invited by the
students;[10]
in the process the dear boys subjected me to a test
of genuine patriotic German tact, which I would rather recount to you personally,
however.– Before I forget: send an appropriate sum right away in my name to the
Zeeman fund; I hope there’s still
time.[11]
I chanced upon an idea for deciding the issue of whether an undulatory electric
field really is present in radiation. In powerful radiation the field is, according to
Maxw[ell’s] theory, of order of magnitude 100 volt/cm. Such fields already exhibit
a perceptible line broadening via Zeeman Stark
effect.[12]
I want to do the exper-
iments together with
Pringsheim.[13]
I’m very curious about the outcome; what
ought one to expect, I wonder?
The letter by the perfumed lady seems to have gotten lost; so I fear it will have
to stay unanswered. But it is, of course, impossible to answer every letter.
The business with the Hall effect is quite simple. The Hall force is compensated
by induced electric fields that arise because of a temporal alteration in the magnetic
field. This temporal alteration is, in the simplest case, the formation of a steadily
expanding magnetic-field-free spot. The Hall effect would be ascertainable from
the speed of this process.
Whether the trip to America will come about is still very doubtful. I actually
would much prefer staying here—if it wasn’t about the despicable money, i.e.,
independence.[14]
I only genuinely enjoy traveling to—Leyden. I’m just writing a
very brief report for Brussels, which I request that de Haas incorporate into his
own.[15]
I’m doing this because he is better at French and it would be tasteless to
give a presentation in German. Please tell this to de Haas. This way time will also
be saved and we will avoid repeating ourselves. I’m thinking of coming to Leyden
after Brussels—Easter break precedes it, you know. I’ll lecture a bit beforehand,
roughly entitled: “Miscellany from Theoretical Physics.” We can agree on the spe-
cific subjects then. I was able to assist your Russian friends
somewhat.[16]
I’m not
going to Copenhagen; it would be too much for me and, in the end, I shouldn’t
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