DOC. 16
FUNDAMENTAL DIFFICULTY
IN
PHYSICS
423
Eine
eigentliche
Theorie ist noch nicht zustande
gekommen,
doch kann
man
wohl mit Sicherheit
sagen:
die
Punktmechanik
gilt
nicht für rasch
periodische
Prozesse,
und auch
die
gewohnte Auffassung
von
der
Verteilung
der Strah-
lungsenergie
im
Raume ist nicht aufrecht
zu
erhalten.[7]
A.
Einstein.
ADS
(GyB,
Handschriften-Abteilung,
Slg.
Darmst.,
D
722.11).
[2
138].
This document
was
en-
closed in
a
letter
by
Einstein
to
Ludwig
Darmstaedter of the
same
date. It
was
written
in
response
to
a
request by Darmstaedter,
who wished
to
make
original manuscripts
by
promi-
nent
scientists available to
historically
interested scholars.
[1]Einstein
similarly singled
out
periodic processes as requiring a change
in
the foundations
of
classical
physics
in
a
letter
to Sommerfeld;
see
Einstein
to
Arnold
Sommerfeld,
July
1910.
[2]For
an
overview of Einstein's contributions
to
the derivation of
thermodynamic principles
from
mechanics,
see
Vol.
2,
the editorial
note,
"Einstein
on
the Foundations of Statistical
Physics," pp.
41-55;
for
a
discussion of
his
analysis
of the limits of classical
thermodynamics
and
his
contribution
to
the determination of molecular
dimensions,
see
Vol.
2,
the editorial
note,
"Einstein
on
Brownian
Motion,"
pp.
206-222. For
comments
on
his
derivation of the
Rayleigh-Jeans
formula for
black-body
radiation
on
the basis
of
classical physics,
see
Vol.
2,
the
editorial
note,
"Einstein's
Early
Work
on
the
Quantum Hypothesis," pp. 134-148, and, in
particular, pp.
137-138.
[3]In
Einstein
1905i
(Vol. 2,
Doc.
14).
Einstein
had
proposed
the
light quantum hypothesis
as
a
heuristic
interpretation
of Wien's formula for the
high frequency/low temperature part
of the
black-body
spectrum,
but his
argument
was
highly
controversial
at
the
time; see, e.g.,
Vol.
2,
the editorial
note,
"Einstein's
Early
Work
on
the
Quantum Hypothesis," pp.
134-148.
[4]A
similar
list
of
phenomena
that
cannot be explained
on
the basis
of
classical physics
is
found
in
Einstein
1909c
(Vol. 2,
Doc.
60),
pp.
490-491.
For
the
relationship
between deviations
from the
law of
Dulong-Petit
and the need
to
change
the foundations of classical
physics,
see
Einstein
1907a
(Vol.
2,
Doc.
38).
[5]See
Planck
1900b.
[6]Einstein's
theory
of
specific
heats,
based
on
the
quantum hypothesis, was
at
that time
receiving experimental
confirmation from the research of Nernst and
collaborators;
see
Nernst
1910a.
[7]According
to
Einstein
1909c
(Vol.
2,
Doc.
60), p.
499,
in
a new theory
of radiation the
energy
of the
electromagnetic
field
might possibly
be
localized
in
singularities.
See
also
"Re-
sponse
to
Manuscript
of Planck
1910a" (Doc.
3),
pp.
177-178,
where
he
expressed
himself
firmly
on
this
point:
"At the
same
time I
am
of
the
decided
opinion
that the
development
of
the
electrodynamics
of
relativity
will
lead
to
a
localization of
energy
other
than that which
we are
at
present
accustomed
to
accept
without
good
reason.
Without
ether,
the
continuous distribu-
tion of
energy
in
space
seems an
absurdity
to me"
("Hierbei
bin
ich
entschieden
der
Meinung,
dass die
Entwickelung
der
Relativitätselektrodynamik
zu
einer anderen Lokalisation der
Energie
führen
wird,
als
wir
sie
gegenwärtig
ohne Grund anzunehmen
gewohnt
sind.
Ohne
Aether erscheint mir continuierlich
im
Raume verteilte
Energie ein
Unding").
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