Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]


Groups > sci.physics.relativity > #660960

Re: Division by zero

From Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de>
Newsgroups sci.physics.relativity
Subject Re: Division by zero
Date 2025-02-03 08:56 +0100
Message-ID <m0bb5pFcl1hU1@mid.individual.net> (permalink)
References <m063e7FhjrnU1@mid.individual.net> <vnkpup$1f33$1@dont-email.me> <m08j18FtovhU1@mid.individual.net> <vnne00$kfok$1@dont-email.me>

Show all headers | View raw


Am Sonntag000002, 02.02.2025 um 10:30 schrieb Mikko:

>>>> Hi NG
>>>>
>>>> I'm actually not really certain, but found an error in Einstein's 
>>>> 'On the electrodynamics of moving bodies' which is quite serious.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> See page six, roughly in the middle:
>>>>
>>>> There we find an equation, which says this:
>>>>
>>>> ∂τ/∂y= 0
>>>
>>> Do you mean on page 899 (9th page of the article) in §3?
>>> The operation is not division but a partial derivative.
> 
> You should answer this question. It is not useful to talk without telling
> what you are talking about.
> 
I'm referring to the English translation, which can be found here

https://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/specrel/www/

The English pdf version has other page numbers than the original article.

But in a way, these original page numbers are also possible as reference.

But unfortunately I have here only the English version (the German I 
have on a different computer).

So I have to tell you the page from the English version or make the 
meant part available to you by other means.

So, § 3 was meant and roughly the middle, which can be found on page 6 
of the English pdf version.

And you are absolutely right, that a partial derivative was meant.

The problem was: of which function was a partial derivative meant?


I have found already, what Einstein had actually meant:

Einstein didn't define the used variables and simply assumed, the reader 
would know anyhow, what he had in mind.

But that wasn't particularly easy, because Einstein used the symbol τ 
for three different types of objects.

a) the time values of clocks in system k were named τ

b) a function τ was derived, which should serve as coordinate 
transformation between system K and system k

c) this function take (kind of) four-vectors of K as input and spits out 
four-vectors in k as output, while these output vectors were also called τ.


This was rather nasty, because it could lead to several errors, if you 
try to interpret Einstein's intentions.

And I have actually fallen in one of these traps, because I had regarded 
τ as time-value, while actually the function τ of case b) was meant.


TH


Back to sci.physics.relativity | Previous | NextPrevious in thread | Next in thread | Find similar


Thread

Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-01 09:14 +0100
  Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-01 11:36 +0200
    Re: Division by zero Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-01 18:19 -0800
      Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 07:58 +0100
        Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:40 +0200
          Re: Division by zero "Paul.B.Andersen" <relativity@paulba.no> - 2025-02-03 12:27 +0100
        Re: Division by zero (0, 1, infinity) Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-02 07:45 -0800
    Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 07:52 +0100
      Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-02 09:26 +0100
        Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:38 +0200
          Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 09:14 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-03 17:20 +0200
              Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-04 08:16 +0100
                Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-05 09:48 +0200
                Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-05 10:09 +0100
      Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-02 11:30 +0200
        Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 08:56 +0100
          Re: Division by zero Athel Cornish-Bowden <me@yahoo.com> - 2025-02-03 10:02 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 11:17 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-03 11:17 +0100
          Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-03 17:51 +0200
            Re: Division by zero Maciej Wozniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2025-02-03 17:33 +0100
            Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-04 08:36 +0100
              Re: Division by zero Mikko <mikko.levanto@iki.fi> - 2025-02-04 11:13 +0200
                Re: Division by zero Maciej Wozniak <mlwozniak@wp.pl> - 2025-02-04 11:58 +0100
                Re: Division by zero Thomas Heger <ttt_heg@web.de> - 2025-02-05 09:32 +0100
  Re: Division by zero nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) - 2025-02-01 23:28 +0100
    Re: Division by zero Ross Finlayson <ross.a.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2025-02-01 20:26 -0800
  Re: Division by zero film.art@gmail.com (JanPB) - 2025-02-20 21:45 +0000
    Re: Division by zero The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2025-02-20 21:18 -0800

csiph-web