174 DISSERTATION ON MOLECULAR
DIMENSIONS
Since the ETH
was
not
authorized to
grant
doctoral
degrees
until
1909,[33] a special
arrangement
enabled ETH students to obtain doctorates from the
University
of
Zurich.[34]
Most dissertations in
physics by
ETH students
were prepared
under Weber's
supervision,
with
Kleiner
as
the second referee. As noted
above,
almost all
physics
dissertations
pre-
pared
at
the ETH and the
University
of
Zurich between
1901
and
1905
were on
experi-
mental
topics
suggested
to the
students
by
their
supervisor
or at
least
closely
related to
the
latter's
research
interests.[35]
The
range
of
topics was quite
limited,
and
generally
not
at the forefront
of
experimental
research. Thermal and electrical
conductivity,
and instru-
ments for their
measurement,
were by
far the most
prominent subjects.
General
questions
of theoretical
physics,
such
as
the
properties
of
the ether
or
the
kinetic
theory
of
gases,
occasionally
found their
way
into examination
papers (Klausurarbeiten),[36]
but
they were
hardly
touched
upon
in dissertations.
In the winter semester
of
1900-1901, Einstein intended to work for
a degree
under
Weber.[37]
The
topic may
have been related to
thermoelectricity, a
field in which
Einstein
had shown
an
interest and in which several
of Weber's
doctoral students did
experimental
research.[38]
After
a falling
out with
Weber,
Einstein turned to
Kleiner for
advice and
comments
on
his
work.[39]
Although
Kleiner's
research
at
this time focused
on measuring
instruments, he did have
an
interest in foundational
questions
of
physics,[40]
and
Einstein's
discussions with him
covered
a
wide
range
of
topics.[41]
Einstein showed his first dissertation to
Kleiner before
submitting
it to the
university
in November
1901.[42]
This dissertation has not
survived,
and the evidence
concerning
its contents
is
somewhat
ambiguous.
In
April
1901
Einstein
wrote that he
planned
to
summarize his work
on
molecular
forces,
up
to
that time
mainly
bourg,
Geneva, and Lausanne. For
a
sober
as-
sessment
of
his
university's
physics teaching,
see
Hans
Schinz, Dekan,
Philosophical Faculty
II
of
the
University
of
Zurich, to
Erziehungsdi-
rektion,
Canton
of
Zurich, 10
September 1901
(SzZSa,
U
110 b
1,
Nr.
25).
On Kleiner,
see
Vol.
1,
Biographies, p.
383.
[33]
See
Guggenbuhl
1955,
pp.
133-135.
[34]
See Promotionsordnung 1899,
p.
2.
[35]
See
note
27 above.
[36]
See the examination
papers
included with
the
reports on
dissertations cited in note 27.
[37]
For evidence
of Einstein's
intention to
pre-
pare
a
doctoral thesis under
Weber,
see
the
Questionnaire
for
Municipal Citizenship Appli-
cants,
11-26 October
1900
(Vol.
1,
Doc.
82).
[38]
For the
topics
of
dissertations submitted
to
the
University
of
Zurich,
see
the
Promotions-
gutachten, SzZSa, U
110
e
7,
8,
and
9. For
Einstein's
interest in
thermoelectricity,
see
Ein-
stein to
Mileva
Maric,
10
October 1899
(Vol. 1,
Doc.
58).
[39]
Einstein blamed Weber for the failure of
his
attempt
to
obtain
a position
at
the
University
of
Göttingen
in March
1901
(see
Einstein
to
Mi-
leva
Maric,
23 March
1901
and 27 March
1901,
Vol.
1,
Docs. 93 and
94).
Discussions with
Kleiner
are
mentioned in Maric
to
Einstein,
early
November
1901
and
13
November
1901
(Vol. 1,
Docs. 123 and
124),
and
in
Einstein
to
Maric, 19
December
1901
(Vol. 1,
Doc.
130).
[40]
For
surveys
of Kleiner's
research,
see
Vol.
1, Biographies, p.
383,
and Andenken/Kleiner
1916. For evidence
of Kleiner's
interest in foun-
dational
questions,
see, e.g.,
Kleiner
1901,
pp.
21-23.
[41]
For evidence
of
the
range
of
Einstein's
dis-
cussions with
Kleiner,
see
Einstein to Mileva
Maric, 19
December
1901
and
8 February
1902
(Vol. 1,
Docs. 130 and
136).
[42]
The
dissertation
was
submitted
to
the Uni-
versity
of
Zurich
on
23 November
1901 (see
note
1).
For evidence that Einstein had earlier
submitted the dissertation
to Kleiner,
see
Mileva
Maric
to Einstein, 13
November
1901 (Vol.
1,
Doc.
124).
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