Four Lectures on Relativity and Space
PREFACE
“The theory of relativity developed by Einstein and his collaborators is the greatest scientific achievement of our age. The layman is therefore fully justified in wishing and asking to know what it is about and in his desire to get at least a glimpse of the new and broader conception of the universe and its laws which this theory is giving us and to understand what fundamental revolution in our scientific world conception it is causing in bringing order and system out of the previous chaotic state. Unfortunately, the relativity theory is intrinsically mathematical, and it is impossible to give a rigidly correct and complete exposition of it without the extensive use of mathematics. The best that can be done, therefore, in explaining the theory of relativity to the layman, and to the engineer who is not an expert mathematician, is to give by analogy, example and comparison a general conception of the theory and its fascinating deductions and conclusions. Such a conception must inevitably be approximate only and cannot be rigidly correct. This must become evident to the mathematical physicist. However, it is the best that can be done, and I believe it is sufficient to justify fully the little effort required from the layman to follow the exposition. After all, the non-mathematician is not interested in rigidly following the intricacies of the mathematical reasoning involved. Rather it is his desire to get a general knowledge and understanding of the new ideas on time and space, on the laws of nature and the characteristics of our universe, which the relativity theory has deduced, and of the wonderful researches into the nature of space which nearly a century ago were carried out by the great mathematicians and have now at length become of physical significance and indeed been the mathematical foundation on which the theory is built.”
Source: Archive.org
A Beggar Clothed in Purple
“Einstein's relativity work is a magnificent mathematical garb which fascinates, dazzles and makes people blind to the underlying errors. The theory is like a beggar clothed in purple whom ignorant people take for a king... its exponents are brilliant men but they are metaphysicists rather than scientists.”
– Nikola Tesla
