HISTORY. Einstein is a plagiarist?

The real world fame was brought to physics by the Nobel Prize-winning work on the photoelectric effect, and the General Theory of Relativity created by him. In any case, official authorship is attributed to him. But how are things really in fact?

Relativity of Einstein

The new view of space-time, proposed by the Special Theory of Relativity, became only the first stage of the Einstein revolution in physics. A stage that brilliantly culminated in the General Theory of Relativity, which changed this view taking into account the action of gravity. The Special Theory of Relativity appeared in 1905, the General Theory of Relativity - ten years later, in 1915-1916.

However, some researchers today are inclined to the fact that this revolution started in the XIX century. According to their observation, the true sources of the General Theory of Relativity should be attributed to the works of two American scientists - the physicist Albert Michelson and the chemist Edward Morley. Back in 1887, these scientists, testing the popular concept of the world ether at that time, found that the speed of light remains constant and does not depend on the speed of the observer's movement relative to the source. In short, they stumbled upon key provisions by the future Special Theory of Einstein's Relativity.

Nothing strange in the use of other people's results in scientific work, of course, no. Each scientist, as they say, stands on the shoulders of the giants of the past and, in one way or another, always follows earlier achievements. It is not clear what is different. The fundamentals of the Special Relativity Theory were presented in Einstein's article "Towards the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," which, as we have already said, was published in 1905. However, in it the author did not say a word about Michelson or Morley. Einstein also did not refer to the great French mathematician Henri Poincare, whose work was actively used.

The unusual appearance and character of Albert Einstein formed the basis for the modern image of a "mad genius". In the mass culture, disheveled hair and crazy eyes became as inseparable attribute of the scientist as books and devices. Perhaps this is the secret of the scientist's popularity - and his most famous photograph, (where the great scientist exposes the language), which in 1951 was made by Arthur Sasse at Princeton University. That day, Einstein turned 72 years old.

Einstein himself said that he had come to the foundations of the General Theory of Relativity in his youth, and neither Michelson nor Morley had any influence on his work - until 1905 he had never heard of their experiments. In any case, so Einstein claimed at first. However, later, in the 1920s, the scientist still recognized that it was the experience of Michelson-Morley that became for him the first step in the formation of ideas by the General Theory of Relativity. For example, in 1921, speaking to the students of the Parker School, the scientist said that Michelson's works had been familiar to him since his student years.

Why did such confusion arise in the "testimony"? It is hardly worth blaming the ingenious physicist for forgetfulness, and even more so - in plagiarism. Most likely, he simply did not attach much importance to this issue - he was interested in very different things. Here it will be appropriate to say one more feature, characteristic of the theme of Einstein's borrowings. The fact is that Albert Michelson until his death was an opponent of the General Theory of Relativity and defended the ancient idea of the invisible ether, supposedly filling the whole space of the universe.

The Einstein Tower, an astrophysical observatory located on the territory of the Albert Einstein Science Park on Mount Telegrafenberg in Potsdam, is a revolutionary creation of the architect Erich Mendelssohn. In the tower it was planned to carry out experiments that prove Einstein's theories / ©Depositphotos

Nazism and the First Wife

The personality of Albert Einstein was perceived differently both during his life and after it. The scientist was born in Germany, in a Jewish family, although he was never an orthodox Jew and claimed that he did not belong to any of the existing religions. Atheism and pacifism were one of the main ideological postulates of Einstein, about which the scientist his whole life declared quite openly.

Albert Einstein and Mileva Marić / ©Depositphotos

It is not surprising that after the Nazis came to power, the life of a Jewish pacifist could have developed in the most tragic way: both the nationality and the rhetoric of Einstein were contrary to the directives of the Nazi Party. Therefore, in 1933, Albert Einstein and his family emigrated to America and soon the efforts of German propagandists became a "traitor" and even "pseudo-scholar," whose works were massively withdrawn from libraries. The ideologists of National Socialism launched a whole campaign directed against Einstein and other Jewish scholars. And although Nazism eventually fell, Einstein's criticism and negative speculation about him proved more tenacious than the Third Reich.

As Einstein supposed, he was awarded the Nobel Prize. However, not for work on the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity, but for explaining the law of the photoelectric effect. This circumstance also formed the basis of some conspiracy theories. Allegedly, Einstein's patrons were vitally important to the Nobel Prize in order to make him a recognized celebrity. However, taking into account the works of Lorentz, Poincaré and others, it was impossible to award him a prize precisely because of the General Theory of Relativity, therefore this was the way chosen. Some go even further, arguing that the ultimate goal was not Einstein himself, but ... science in general. Allegedly, the General Theory of Relativity was created with only one purpose: to direct its development along the wrong path.

Among the ideas attracted by the ears, the hypothesis of Mileva Marić, the first wife of Einstein, who supposedly belongs to the original authorship of the General Theory of Relativity, is especially interesting. Mileva studied at the Zurich Polytechnic Institute (Einstein enrolled there) and was the only girl on the course - from this it is clear that she had talents in physics and mathematics. The scientist himself in letters to his wife mentioned the General Theory of Relativity as "our theory". Einstein and Marić became husband and wife, and Mileva started working as her husband's assistant. She admired the work of Einstein and helped him in his studies. The influence of Mileva on the works of Einstein is indirectly pointed out by the writer John Stachel, who devoted his life to the study of history by the General Theory of Relativity.

But is there any real evidence that Marić had a hand in the theory? Not really. The only, and indirect, clue was that after parting with his wife, Einstein did not create anything as outstanding. They diverged in 1914, and most of the work devoted to the General Theory of Relativity was completed by the scientist before that time. The research talents of Mileva Marić are also quite a controversial issue, if only because no scientific work signed by her name has been published, either before Einstein or after. Although, of course, after the wedding, almost all the efforts of Mileva were aimed at supporting her husband, and even her diploma project fell victim to family circumstances. Most researchers agree that Mileva Marić did not have sufficient talents and abilities to create the General Theory of Relativity.

The Israeli banknote of 5 lire (1968) with the portrait of Einstein / ©Depositphotos

Stole from Poincare?

There is also the view that Einstein borrowed the idea of the General Theory of Relativity from another great scientist, the great French mathematician Henri Poincare. At the very dawn of his career, while still working in the patent office, Albert Einstein allegedly appropriated his discoveries.

Here you can recall that in 1989 the world saw Poincaré's article "On the measurement of time." In it, the scientist explored such concepts as the equality of time intervals, the identity of time intervals at different points in space. One of the conclusions of Poincare painfully resembles the postulates of Einstein: absolute time and simultaneity does not exist. Another important conclusion was that the speed of light in all directions is constant.

Poincaré's article was based on transformations formulated by the Dutch physicist Lorentz and allowing calculations of time and coordinates during the transition from one inertial frame of reference to another. Poincaré endowed these transformations with a correct physical formulation.

Henri Poincare / ©Depositphotos

About the Lorentz Einstein in his work mentioned. And the Dutch scholar himself was warm about Einstein, who considered him one of his teachers. Lorenz never disputed the role of Einstein in the formation of theoretical bases, but he himself was a supporter of the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity never was, and for a long time tried to uphold the concept of the world ether.

The influence of Poincare on the formation of general postulates by the General Theory of Relativity was enormous. So, he was among the first to talk about the existence of a four-dimensional space-time continuum. Although Poincare, like Lorentz, was inclined, nevertheless, to the "ether theory", and Einstein did not agree with anything in everything.

The desire to give authorship of the General Theory of Relativity Henri Poincaré is somewhat paradoxical. The fact is that in itself the term General Relativity Theory began to be used to differentiate Einstein's theory and the views of the proponents of the ether theory, such as Poincare himself.

In addition, the ideas expressed by Albert Einstein had one key difference from the assumptions of other researchers. As a rule, scientists sought to write Maxwell's calculations into the world of Newtonian mechanics, finalizing them precisely. But Einstein decided that modernization requires the other side of the problem, the mechanics of Newton. Therefore, it was Einstein that moved many of the physics issues from the dead end.

Poincare, of course, has developed a powerful scientific system. But the global concept of space and time was created and comprehended precisely by Einstein. In the work "Towards the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" and other works, they thoroughly worked out the questions of mass, energy and time. The time that existed in the moving reference frame was true for Einstein, while Poincaré regarded it as a kind of effect, something like an illusion, an unusual scientific paradox.

"The Year of Miracles" was called the 1905th European scientists. This year, Einstein's three revolutionary articles were printed at once: "To the electrodynamics of moving bodies," "On one heuristic point of view concerning the origin and transformation of light," "On the motion of particles suspended in a fluid at rest, required by the molecular-kinetic theory of heat."

E =?

E = mc2 (meaning "in 2 degrees") - perhaps, the most famous of all formulas, linking the total internal energy of the body with its mass. By itself, this beautiful mathematics does not cause doubts, but the authorship of the famous formula has been criticized many times. In addition to Poincaré, the formula for the equivalence of energy and mass, according to some sources, was described by the Russian physicist Nikolai Umov back in 1873. However, there was also a difference between Einstein's approach and the calculations of other scientists. All of them, even stumbling upon an elegant formula, applied it only in the narrow context of their scientific research - the same Nikolai Umov considered it in the framework of the theory of ether theory. But in Einstein's works, E = mc2 (meaning "in 2 degrees") is a universal law affecting all the problems of dynamics. Analogous hypotheses are also expressed about Poincaré with its transformation of coordinates and other calculations.

Later, Einstein argued that with the work of Poincaré on the threshold of writing "Toward the electrodynamics of moving bodies" was not a sign. However, most likely, much of the model, constructed by Poincaré, it really was used. But since the Poincare system did not have harmony and completeness by the General Theory of Relativity, the scientific world did not see behind it the enormous prospects, the doors to new physics, which Einstein could discover.

Poincare himself remained silent on this score. His attitude towards Einstein was warm and even friendly. The Frenchman noted the undeniable talent and original thinking of Einstein. We have memories of colleagues Poincare, and we can assume what kind of person he was. Poincare never aspired to fame, but also to sacrifice his services as a sacrifice to circumstances would also not. His convictions would not allow him to put up with the theft of ideas from other scientists. In other words, to affirm frank plagiarism of Einstein is at least incorrect.

Statue of Einstein in the Israeli Academy of Sciences / ©Depositphotos

Albert Einstein appreciated a sharp mind in Poincare, but pointed to "a weak understanding of physical laws" and never considered him as one of the main creators of the General Theory of Relativity. Einstein generally did not like to touch the names of other scientists who had a hand in the General Theory of Relativity. Thus, he hardly remembered during his lectures on German Minkowski, German mathematician and the creator of the four-dimensional model of the General Theory of Relativity.

Among the most incredible rumors circulates and the legend that Einstein destroyed most of his work shortly before his death. The myth is built around the thesis of the mortal danger of its discoveries for the Earth. Allegedly, the works were closely related to the so-called Philadelphia experiment - the mysterious teleportation of a warship. Need I say that the evidence for this version is even less than the history itself with the incident at the Navy base in Philadelphia?

However, the discovery of the General Theory of Relativity would have been impossible without the works of dozens of scientists. Einstein and Lorentz, Minkowski and Poincare, Michelson and Morley, Maxwell and Newton-Einstein, himself being a giant of science, like other scientists, stood on the shoulders of the giants of the past. Is it fair that the laurels got him? Hardly. However, neither in Einstein's nor in Newton's world of physics is there a place for justice.