144 DOC.
140
NOVEMBER
1915
140. From
David Hilbert
[Göttingen,
13
November
1915][1]
Dear
Colleague,
Actually,
I
first wanted to
think
of
a very palpable application
for
physicists,
namely
reliable relations between
the
physical
constants,
before
obliging
with
my
axiomatic solution to
your
great
problem.
But
since
you are
so
interested, I
would
like
to
lay
out
my
th[eory]
in
very complete
detail
on
the
coming Tuesday,
that
is,
the
day
after the
day
after
tomorrow
(the
16th of
this
mo.).[2]
I
find it
ideally
handsome
math[ematically]
and
absolutely compelling according
to
ax-
iom[atic]
meth[od], even
to
the
extent
that
not
quite
transparent
calculations do
not
occur
at
all and therefore
rely
on
its
factuality.[3]
As
a
result of
a
gen.
math.
law,
the
(generalized Maxwellian) electrody.
eqs.
appear
as a
math.
consequence
of
the
gravitation eqs.,
such
that
gravitation
and
electrodynamics
are
actually
nothing
different at
all.[4] Furthermore, my
energy concept
forms the
basis:[5]
E
=
S(ests
+
eihtih),
which
is
likewise
a
general invariant,
and from this then
also
follow
from
a
very simple
axiom
the
4
missing “space-time equations”
es
=
0.
I derived most
pleasure
in the
discovery already
discussed with Sommerfeld
that
normal
electrical
energy
results when
a
specific
absolute invariant
is
differentiated
from
the
gravitation potentials
and
then
g
is
set
=
0.1.-[6]
My request
is
thus
to
come
for
Tuesday.
You
can
arrive
at
3
or
1/2
past
5.
The Math.
Soc. meets at 6
o’clock in
the auditorium
building. My wife[7]
and
I
would be
very pleased
if
you
stayed
with
us.
It
would be
better
still if
you
came
already
on
Monday,
since
we
have
the
phys.
colloquium
on Monday,
6
o’clock,
at
the
phys.
institute.
With
all
good
wishes and in
the
hope
of
soon
meeting again, yours,
Hilbert.
As far
as
I
understand
your
new pap[er],
the
solution
giv[en]
by you
is
entirely
different from
mine, especially
since
my es’s
must
also
necessarily
contain
the
electrical
potential.[8]
Document
description:
“Continuation
on
Sheet I
with the invitation
to
come
for Tues-
day,
6
o’clock. Best
regards,
H.”