A Brief Guide to the Great Equations (45 page)

displacement laws,
123

‘Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content?’ (Einstein),
168–70
,
172

Dorato, Mauro,
84

Dostoyevsky, Feodor,
109

Dr. Euler’s Fabulous Formula
(Nahin),
91–92

DuBois, W.E.B.,
230

Dunn, Stephen,
266

‘Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field, A’ (Maxwell),
142

dynamic proofs,
31

dynamis,
50

Dyson, Frank,
203
,
205–6

E
=
mc
²
,
see
Einstein’s special theory of relativity

‘
E
=
mc
²
’ (Einstein),
178

ecoterrorism,
92

Eddington, Arthur,
201–4
,
205
,
206–8

Egyptians, ancient,
26
,
273
n
–74
n

Ehrenhaft, Felix,
184

Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule (ETH),
191–93
,
196–97
,
222

Einstein, Albert,
17
,
33
,
45
,
156–79
,
179,
181
,
182
,
185–208
,
222
,
235
,
242
,
243
,
247

contrarian role played by,
130

on Copenhagen interpretation,
259–60

ether disproved by,
166

family of,
191
,
193
,
197

particle theory espoused by,
217–18

playful attitude of,
183–84

Pythagorean theorem proved by,
44

quantum theory and,
191
,
215
,
217
,
221
,
259–60

Roosevelt’s letter from,
175

unified emotional life and career of,
232–34

Einstein: His Life and Universe
(Isaacson),
210

‘Einstein A Go-Go’ (Landscape),
156–57

Einstein’s equation for general relativity,
82
,
110
,
167
,
185–208
,
227
,
268

bending of starlight predicted by,
185–87
,
193–95
,
198–99
,
200
,
201–8

Einstein’s equation for general relativity (
continued
)

conveying meaning of,
209–13

covariance in,
189
,
192
,
197
,
198–200
,
293
n
–94
n

equivalence principle in,
189–95
,
196

geometry of space-time in,
196–97
,
199
,
208

gravitational red shift and,
193
,
200
,
207

Mercury’s orbital precession explained by,
190–91
,
194
,
198
,
200
,
202
,
206

Minkowski’s space-time concept in,
191–93
,
196

Newton’s gravity law vs.,
188
,
190–91
,
207–8

Pythagorean theorem in,
33
,
192
,
279
n

sets of terms in,
199
,
208
,
293
n
–94
n

space-time curvature in,
185
,
186
,
196
,
206
,
207–8

thought experiment associated with,
187–89

Einstein’s special theory of relativity (
E
=
mc
²
),
33
,
92–93
,
149
,
156–79
,
157,
193
,
197
,
235–36
,
239
,
267
,
268

in atomic physics,
168–69
,
171–77

confirmations of,
172–73

as congener,
177–78

contraction of space and time in,
163
–
64
,
166–67
,
191

faster-than-light travel prohibited by,
128
,
164

mass-energy concept in,
46–47
,
156
,
168–77
,
178–79
,
185
,
194

and Newtonian vs. Maxwellian mechanics,
158–64
,
165–68
,
187
,
188

as popular culture icon,
92
,
156–57
,
177–79
,
235

Pythagorean theorem in,
33
,
166–67
,
167

speed of light in,
33
,
156
,
157
,
158–64
,
165
,
168–71
,
189
,
290
n

thought experiment associated with,
165
,
187

on
Time
cover,
156
,
178–79
,
179

‘Einstein’s Third Paradise’ (Holton),
232–34

electrodynamics, electromagnetism,
113
,
122
,
124–25
,
126
,
132–51
,
158–64
,
165–69
,
216

displacement current in,
141
,
142

effects of,
139–40

ether and,
135
,
136
,
139
,
141
,
143

induction in,
135
,
136
,
138

mathematics of,
135
,
136
,
137–39
,
141

Newtonian view of,
135

physical models of,
139–42
,
140,
149

as structural foundation of modern era,
133
,
152

telegraphy and,
145
,
149–50

see also
Maxwell’s equations

electromagnetic fields,
133

electromagnetic waves,
123
,
133
,
143–44

discovery of,
145–47

light as,
141–42

as traveling through ether,
141–42
,
147

electronic state,
135
,
138
,
140

electrons,
205
,
216–17
,
222
,
225–26
,
238
,
239
,
251
,
253
,
255–57
,
298
n

electrostatic potential ψ,
143
,
147
,
149
,
150
,
151

Elegant Universe, The
(Greene),
211

Elementary Sketch of Physiology
(Magendie),
84

Elements
(Euclid),
22
,
32
,
35
,
59
,
95
,
98
,
129
,
278
n

in 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition,
42

Pythagorean theorem proof in,
22
,
24
,
27–28
,
28,
29
,
31
,
34
,
42
,
273
n

Elements of Algebra
(Euler),
98

Elizabeth I, Queen of England,
57

energy,
112
,
118
,
121
,
123
,
125
,
129
,
168
–
69
,
215
,
216
,
217–18
,
239
,
241

in Einstein’s mass-energy concept,
46–47
,
156
,
168–77
,
178–79
,
185
,
194

kinetic,
169

energy flux theorem,
289
n

entropy,
111
,
112
,
118
,
121–22
,
125
,
129

see also
thermodynamics, second law of

Epitome to Copernican Astronomy
(Kepler),
67
,
74

equations:

algebraic,
95

classification of,
274
n

in crazy-idea letters,
183

creative process in formulation of,
17–18

as cultural icons,
107–10

derivation of term,
14–16

determinate,
15

differential,
138
,
274
n

human genesis of,
16–18

indeterminate,
15

motivating trigger in birth of,
38

in
1984,
107–8

poems vs.,
274
n
–75
n,
277
n

in scientific papers,
183

secular,
297
n

as tools of ongoing scientific enquiry,
92–93
,
105

unexpected productivity of,
147

valuable function of,
105
,
106

wonder inspired by,
13–14
,
18–20
,
44
,
271–72

equipartition theorem,
121
,
126–27

ether,
49
,
75
,
161–64
,
165
,
202

detection of,
144–45
,
147–48

earth’s motion with respect to,
126
,
144–45
,
161–62
,
166

Einstein’s disproof of,
166

electrodynamics and,
135
,
136
,
139
,
141
,
143

electromagnetic waves as traveling through,
141–42
,
147

ether drift,
144–45
,
202

Michelson-Morley experiment on,
147–49
,
161–64

Et Tu, Babe
(Leyner),
110

Euclid,
22
,
26
,
29
,
33
,
34
,
44
,
192

see also Elements
(Euclid)

Euler, Leonhard,
61
,
91–106
,
94

analysis organized by,
95–96
,
98–99
,
104
,
105
,
136

background of,
93–94

blindness of,
94
,
97–98

death of,
98

Frederick the Great’s epithet for,
97

symbolic notation developed by,
96–97
,
98

Euler’s equation,
91–106

description of,
91
,
103–4

as evidence in criminal trial,
92

functions linked by,
99–106

as icon,
91–93
,
104–6

Experimental Researches in Electricity
(Faraday),
135

exponential functions,
99–106

Fabric of the Cosmos, The
(Greene),
211

falling apple legend,
69
,
70
,
88–90

falling bodies:

Aristotle’s theories of,
70–71

experiments on,
50
,
52
,
53

Galileo’s law of,
57–58
,
110

impetus acquired by,
54

law of,
15
,
57–58

Faraday, Michael,
135–36
,
137–40

electronic state postulated by,
135
,
138
,
140

lines of force concept of,
135
,
136
,
137–39

Faraday effect,
135
,
139

Farmelo, Graham,
274
n

Fermat’s last theorem,
33

Fermi, Enrico,
174–75

Feynman, Richard,
20
,
166

on electrodynamics,
133
,
145
,
151

Euler’s equation praised by,
91

on Newton’s law of gravity,
78

personality of,
232

‘Field Equations of Gravitation, The’ (Einstein),
199

final theory,
68

FitzGerald, George,
126
,
146–47
,
148
,
151
,
162–63
,
166
,
167
,
187

Fizeau, Armand,
141

Flanagan, Hallie,
156

flat earth cosmos,
25–26

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
(Abbott),
211

fluxions, theory of,
96

force,
46–48
,
51–58
,
59
,
60
,
61–62
,
63
,
71
,
78
,
81
,
128
,
188
,
199
,
207

continuous,
58
,
59
,
60

derivation of term,
58

external vs. internal,
53
,
59
,
78

Galileo’s conception of,
58

Greek sympathies as,
71

heat as,
114–15

impressed,
51–52
,
53–55
,
60
,
61

instantaneous,
58
,
59
,
60