DOCS. 145-147 MARCH-APRIL
1909
105
to
me
that the formation
of
the
walls out
of electrons
must have
an
effect in
the
case
of
such
short waves;-but
I do
not want to
bother
you
further.
I would
be
extremely
grateful
if
you
would tell
me
of
your
doubts about
my
ideas.
I
am totally
on
my own,
and do not have
the
opportunity
to
talk
with
anyone
about
this
interesting area;
this
is
why my
report
in
the
Phys. Zeitschrift
perhaps
turned
out
somewhat
too
short.
With
the
highest regards,
yours very truly,
J.
Weiss,
trainee
teacher
146.
To
Hendrik
A.
Lorentz
[Bern,
30 March
1909]
Highly
esteemed
Sir:[1]
Along
with this
letter
I
am sending you a
short
paper
on
radiation
theory,
which
is
the
trifling
result of
years
of
reflection.[2]
I
have not
been
able to work
my
way
through
to
a
real
understanding
of the
matter. But I
am
sending you
the
paper
all
the
same,
and
even
ask
you
to
take
a
quick
look
at
it,
for
the
following reason.
The
paper
contains
several
arguments
from which it
seems
to
me
to follow
that
not
only
molecular
mechanics,
but
also Maxwell-Lorentz's
electrodynamics
cannot be
brought
into
agreement
with the
radiation
formula.
The
argument presented
in
section
7
of
the
paper
seems
particularly
convincing
to
me.[3]
Beyond
that,
in
section
10
I have
pointed
out how the
dimensional
argument[4]
developed
by
Jeans
a
few
years
ago
seems
to
provide
a
hint for
carrying
out
a
modification of
the
theory,[4]
which
is
essential
to
do in
my opinion.
I cherish the
hope
that
you
can
find the
right way,
if
indeed
you
find
the
reasons
given
in
the
paper
for the
untenability
of
the
current
foundations
to be at all
valid. But if
you
should
deem those
reasons
to be
invalid,
then
your
counterarguments
could
perhaps
furnish
the
key
to
the real solution of
the
radiation
problem.
With
highest regards,
yours very truly,
A.
Einstein
147.
To
Johannes
Stark
[Bern,
6
April 1909]
Einstein
expresses
pleasure
"that
you
have
attained
a post
that
is commensurate
with
your outstanding
creative
power.
But
I
am
also
very pleased
that
you thought
of
choosing me as your
coworker,
even
if
I
am
not
in
a
position
to
accept your
kind offer. As
I
am married,
the
income
from
that
position
would
not
be sufficient."
Stark
was
appointed
Professor of
Experimental Physics
at
the Technical
University
of
Aachen
on
1
April (see
Aachen
Programm
1909,
p. 166.)
Einstein's
salary
at
the
Swiss
Patent
Office
was
4500 francs
(see
Doc.
34).