One Major Master Key To All Multiple Phenomena And Forces

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27274, 28 December 1949, Page 5

One Major Master Key To All Multiple Phenomena And Forces

N ZP A—Copyright

Rec. 11 p.m. NEW YORK. Dec. 27. Professor Einstein’s “ generalised theory of gravitation ” is expected to lead to new and much deeper insights into the cosmos, says Mr William Laurence, science writer in the New York Times. The new theory attempts to inter-relate all known physical phenomena into one all-embracing intellectual concept', thus providing one major master key to all multiple phenomena and forces in which the material universe manifests itself to man.

Mr Laurence added that the idea of developing an all-encompassing theory uniting the field of gravitation with the electro-magnetic field, has been the major goal of physicists during the last 30 years, engaging the attention of many other great meh of science as well as Professor Einstein. Vast stores of knowledge have', been accumulated over the centuries by ex,perimentation and observation, but there has been no single tiaeory to explain and describe them all. Professor Einstein set himself an enormous task to bring the different manifestations of the cosmos under one all-embracing theory from. which all the known phenomena cot,fid be reduced. “ Such a comprehensive theory not only provides a profounder understanding of the universe around us, but also it generally piakes possible the prediction of entirely new and unforseen phenomena.” 1

Mr Laurence continues: “For example, until about the second half of the nineteenth century, magnetism, electricity, and light were regarded as three different phenomena. Clark Maxwell proved by his famous mathematical equations that all three were actually one. As light was known to be propagated in waves, the identification of light with electro-mag-netism revealed the existence of electro-magnetic waves. “This led to the search for such waves with the result that the German physicist, Heinrich Hertz, discovered Hertzian waves, now better known as radio waves. In other words, radio and television were first discovered by Maxwell’s mathematical formulae.

“ Similarly the mathematical synthesis by Professor Einstein of space and time led to the unification of matter and energy, a concept that found its most spectacular verification when atomic bombs exploded over Japan 40 years after the promulgation of the original theory of relativity."

Mr Laurence says the fact that Professor Einstein regards his formulae as highly convincing indicates his belief that he has at last found the “ key to the cosmos ” for which he has been seeking more than half of his 70 years. Professor Einstein’s latest work promises to bridge the last gap that separates the infinite universe of stars and galaxies and the equally infinite universe of the atom.