EINSTEIN ALBERT: (1879-1955) German-born Theoretical Physicist, Nobel Prize winner for Physics, 1921

EINSTEIN ALBERT: (1879-1955) German-born Theoretical Physicist, Nobel Prize winner for Physics, 1921

'A distinction has to be made between the special theory of relativity

established in 1905 and the general theory of relativity….’

EINSTEIN ALBERT: (1879-1955) German-born Theoretical Physicist, Nobel Prize winner for Physics, 1921. An excellent T.L.S., A. Einstein, one page, 4to, Berlin, 17th August 1919, to S. Reiter, an engineer, in German. Einstein states that he found his correspondent's request after returning from a trip and remarks 'It is really a misunderstanding, but a very understandable and obvious one', continuing to explain, 'A distinction has to be made between the special theory of relativity established in 1905 and the general theory of relativity that emerged from the same. According to the former, speeds over 300,000 km/sec are excluded; the use of rotating coordinate systems is not permitted. According to this theory, the rotation still has an absolute character. The general theory of relativity, however, allows arbitrarily rotating coordinate systems, but knows no upper limit of the speed relative to the coordinate system' and concluding by suggesting that Reiter can find out more in Einstein's published booklet About the Special and General Theory of Relativity. A letter of good scientific content, desirable for its references to Einstein's Theory of Relativity. A couple of minor, neat splits to the edges of two folds and a few light spots of foxing, about VG