200
DOC.
30 FOUNDATION OF GENERAL RELATIVITY
per
revolution.
In
this formula
a
denotes the
major
semi-
axis,
c
the
velocity
of light
in
the usual
measurement,
e
the
eccentricity,
T the time
of
revolution in
seconds.*
Calculation
gives
for
the
planet
Mercury
a
rotation
of
the
orbit
of
43"
per
century, corresponding exactly
to astronomical
observation
(Leverrier);
for
the
astronomers have discovered
in
the motion
of
the
perihelion
of
this
planet,
after
allowing
for
disturbances
by
other
planets,
an inexplicable
remainder
of
this
magnitude.
* For
the calculation I refer to
the
original papers:
A.
Einstein,
Sitzungsber.
d. Preuss. Akad. d.
Wiss.,
1915, p.
831;
K. Schwarzschild,
ibid.,
1916,
p. 189.
[37]
Doc.
31
Appendix.
Formulation of
the
Theory
on
the
Basis
of
a
Variational
Principle
Not
translated for this
volume.
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