202
DOCUMENT
149
NOVEMBER 1915
ist,
dass die
Schwierigkeiten
nun
überwunden
sind. Ich
überreiche
heute
der
Aka-
demie eine
Arbeit,
in der
ich
aus
der
allgemeinen
Relativität ohne
Hilfshypothese
die
von
Leverrier
e[nt]deckte Perihelbewegung
des
Merkur
quantitativ
ableite.[4]
Dies
gelang
bis
jetzt
keiner
Gravitationstheorie
Es
grüsst
Sie
bestens Ihr
Einstein.
AKSX
(GyGöU,
Cod. Ms. D. Hilbert
92b). [13 091].
The
postcard
is
addressed
“Herrn Prof. Dr. Hil-
bert Universität
Gottingen,”
and
postmarked
“Berlin-Wilmersdorf
1
18.11.15.
1-2N[achmittags]."
There
are perforations
for
a
loose-leaf
binder at
the left
margin
of
the document.
[1]See
Einstein 1915f and
1915g
(Vol.
6,
Docs. 21
and
22),
submitted
to
the Prussian
Academy on
4 and
11
November. On
13 November,
Hilbert had
suggested
that the two
systems
of
equations
were
not
equivalent
(see
Doc.
140).
Two
days
later,
Einstein
asked Hilbert to send
proofs
of
his
paper
on
his
theory
of
gravitation
(see
Doc.
144);
in
response,
Hilbert
perhaps
sent
a copy
of
a
lecture
he
had
given on
the
subject
(see
Doc. 140 for its
announcement)
or a copy
of
the manuscript
of
Hilbert
1915,
which
was
presented
to the
Royal Society
in
Göttingen on
20 November.
[2]Einstein
1915f
(Vol.
6,
Doc.
21).
[3]There was
also
the
suspicion
that the conservation laws
were
not satisfied
(see
Doc.
162).
See
Norton
1984,
Stachel
1989,
and
Vol. 4,
the
editorial
note,
“Einstein’s
Research
Notes
on a
General-
ized
Theory
of
Relativity,” pp.
197-199,
for historical
discussions
of
the
earlier
misconceptions
of
Einstein
and
Marcel Grossmann.
[4]Einstein
1915g (Vol.
6,
Doc.
22);
Urbain
Jean
Joseph
Le Verrier
(1811-1877)
had been Profes-
sor
of
Celestial
Mechanics
and
of
Astronomy
at the
Sorbonne,
and
Director of
the Paris
Observatory.
149.
From
David
Hilbert
[Göttingen,
19
November
1915]
Lieber Herr
Kollege
Vielen Dank
für
Ihre Karte und
herzlichste
Gratulation
zu
der
Ueberwältigung
der
Perihelbewegung.[1]
Wenn ich
so
rasch rechnen
könnte,
wie
Sie,[2]
müsste bei
meinen
Gleichg entsprechend
das
Elektron
kapituliren
und
zugleich
das Wasser-
stoffatom sein
Entschuldigungszettel aufzeigen, warum es
nicht
strahlt.[3]
Ich werde Ihnen auch ferner
dankbar
sein,
wenn
Sie mich
über
Ihre neuesten
Fortschritte im
Laufenden
halten.
Viele Grüsse
Ihr
Hilbert
AKS.
[13
054].
The
postcard
is addressed “Herrn
Professor
Einstein in Berlin Wittelsbacherstr
13.,”
and
postmarked “Göttingen
1
19.11.15.
10-11N[achmittags].”
[1]See
the
preceding document,
in which
Einstein
mentioned his
success
in
explaining
the
anom-
alous
perihelion
shift
of
Mercury.
[2]Two
and
a
half
years
earlier,
Einstein had
already
done similar calculations in the context
of
the
“Entwurf”
theory
(see
Vol.
4,
Doc.
14).
[3]Hilbert
alludes
to
the fact that his
theory
included
electromagnetism
in
addition
to
gravitation
(see
Doc.
140).