308
DOCS.
316,
317 MARCH
1917
same.
I
am
very glad
that
you
are
prepared to
read
my
paper.[1] Unfortunately,
I
am
only going
to
be able
to send it to
you
around
Easter,
or
perhaps
even
only
after Easter.
Since,
although
the
first
part
is
already finished,
which would
already
show
you
what
I
mean,
external difficulties also exist
currently regarding
the
feasibility
of
transcription
and
dispatch.
However,
I
hope
that
it
will
work
by
Easter.
I
cannot
write
you
about the
content within
the
limited bounds of
a
letter-which
are
particularly
constrained this
time,
as
this
is
the
remains
of
my weekly paper
supply.[2]
Today
I just
want to
turn
your
attention
to
a
paper
not
directly
related
to it. Are
you
familiar with:
Paul
Gerber
“Die räumliche
und zeitliche
Ausbreitung
der Gravitation”
[“The
Spatial
and
Temporal Prop-
agation
of
Gravitation”]
in
Zeitschrift
für
Mathematik und
Physik
(Schlömilch)
43rd
Volume, Page
93
(1898).[3]
He calculates
the
velocity
of
the
gravitational
potential
from
Mercury’s perihelion
motion and finds it
equal
to
the
velocity
of
light.
I
do not have time to work
on
this
now,
but it
seems
to
me
that it
ought
to
be examined whether
the
decisive
thing
in
your explanation
of
the
perihelion
motion
is
the
introduction
of
the
velocity
of light
and not
the
overall structure of
the
general
theory of
relativity. For,
Gerber
obviously
comes
to
his result
using
Euclidean
geometry.
Therefore,
I
think that
it
ought
to be
possible
to
explain
the
perihelion
motion of
Mercury
also
using
the
old
tools,
thus that the
verification
of
the
gen.
theory
of
relativity through
this
result
is
not
as
far-reaching
as
you
assume
it
to be.
I
shall
be
very pleased
if
you
write
me again.
Cordial
regards,
yours,
F.
Adler
P. S.
Many
thanks
for
the
offprints,
which
I
have
received.[4]
317. To Willem
de Sitter
[Berlin,]
24
March 1917
Dear Mr. de
Sitter,
I
find
your
new
results[1]
very interesting.
Also,
I
am very pleased
that
you
are
up
and about
again
and
(I
hope) completely
restored.
I
also
am feeling
considerably
better.[2]
Regarding
your solution,
I
think the
following:
1)
Your
world
is
spatially
finite.
Because,
the
naturally
measured
length
of
the
positive
x-axis
is[3]
(-i)
/
ds
=
/0
dx/1+ux2
=
finite.[4]
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