- 214
Einstein, Albert
Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
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Description
- Einstein, Albert
- Typed letter signed ("A. Einstein"), to Axel Frey Samoie in Stockholm, about Foucault's pendulum, with an autograph annotation
- paper
in which he considers the problem of identifying and measuring the inertia of a body, such as Foucault's pendulum, explaining that it does not move itself but that there is a relationship between the pendulum and the universe, which should not be interpreted as the influence of motion at a distance, instead identifying the gμν-field in space, this added by Einstein in black ink ("gμν-Feld")
..Nach der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie hat man sich zu denken, dass sich das Foucault'sche Pendel gegenüber der trägen Gesamtmasse der Welt drehungsfrei einstelle. Diese gegenseitige Beeinflüssung ist aber nicht als Fernwirkung zu deuten; die Massen bestimmen das gμν-Feld im Raume, und dieses Feld das Trägheitsverhalten der Massen des Foucault-Pendels..."
1 page, 4to, Berlin, 10 February 1921, framed and glazed: overall size 307 x 243mm, a few creases at original folds, but otherwise fine and fresh.
..Nach der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie hat man sich zu denken, dass sich das Foucault'sche Pendel gegenüber der trägen Gesamtmasse der Welt drehungsfrei einstelle. Diese gegenseitige Beeinflüssung ist aber nicht als Fernwirkung zu deuten; die Massen bestimmen das gμν-Feld im Raume, und dieses Feld das Trägheitsverhalten der Massen des Foucault-Pendels..."
1 page, 4to, Berlin, 10 February 1921, framed and glazed: overall size 307 x 243mm, a few creases at original folds, but otherwise fine and fresh.
Literature
The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, volume 12 (Princeton 2009), no.39; apparently this letter was published without recourse to the original manuscript, so that the dating there is imprecise.
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Léon Foucault's "pendulum" was a 28kg lead weight which in 1851 he suspended on a wire 67 metres long, from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris. The plane of the pendulum's swing rotated clockwise at 11° per hour, thus demonstrating the rotation of the earth. As Einstein explained it, the pendulum does not rotate itself, but merely adjusts itself to the inertial total mass of the universe.