A Dutch Uncle's Tirade about Relativity Matters
| Scientific Paper | |
|---|---|
| Title | A Dutch Uncle\'s Tirade about Relativity Matters |
| Author(s) | Evert Jan Post |
| Keywords | Relativity |
| Journal | None |
| No. of pages | 9 |
Abstract
This tirade is directed at the establishment for having silently accepted a situation that in effect has emasculated the principle of general covariance and at the Galileans for having taken negative establishment attitudes too seriously. A refinement and further development of the principle of general covariance resolve many problems of the Galileans as well as the establishment predicament of failing to reconcile quantum theory and relativity. Seeds for these developments were sown long ago in the Twenties and in the Thirties. They are here presented to be preserved for posterity. Yet, they come with a Dutch Uncle warning: There is no gain without the strain of exploring the interaction of new mathematical and physical concepts. Earlier this century mathematics made a transition from local to global points of views. This transition culminated in the work of de Rham, for whom electromagnetism has been a source of inspiration. Physics can now take advantage of these developments and find itself rewarded with new insight.
