Alfred Bucherer

Alfred Heinrich Bucherer ( born July 9, 1863 in Cologne, † April 16, 1927 in Bonn ) was a German physicist who is best known for his experiments on relativistic mass. Bucherer was also the first to literally the term " Einstein's Theory of Relativity" cars.

Education and work

Alfred Bucherer studied from 1884 to 1899 at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, the University of Strasbourg and the University of Leipzig. At the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität Bonn he joined in 1899 from his habilitation. Following this, he taught until 1923 ibid physics and mathematics.

1903 Alfred Bucherer published the first book published in German language, which dealt exclusively with the representation of vector analysis.

As Henri Poincaré (1895 and 1900 ), it was believed, Alfred Bucherer (1903 b ) to the validity of the relativity principle, which means that all descriptions of the electrodynamic effects may only relative movements of the body, not the ether, included. However, he went a step further, and deduced from the non-existence of the ether from. The theory, which he developed based on 1906, also included the assumption that the space possesses a geometry. However, his theory was quite vague and 1908 showed Walter Ritz, they also turned out to be contradictory. In contrast to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, however, Alfred Bucherer pulled out of the rejection of the ether no consequences in terms of the relativity of time. It was Alfred Bucherer 1906, the first to use the term " theory of relativity " for Einstein's theory, however, used in a critical manner by abwandelte Max Planck term " relative theory " for the " Lorentz -Einstein theory." He even rejected in 1908 but soon his own version of the principle of relativity and was a supporter of the " Lorentz -Einstein theory."

Of significance was his 1904 developed electron model, according to which the electron is contracted in the direction of movement and expanded perpendicular to it; independently of him, Paul Langevin in 1905, a very similar model set up. The " Bucherer -Langevin model" was an alternative:

• To the electron model by Hendrik Antoon Lorentz (1899), Henri Poincaré (1905 and 1906 ) and Albert Einstein ( 1905), after which the electron due to the length contraction even contracted, not expanded but perpendicular to
• And the model of Max Abraham, according to which the electron is regarded as rigid.

All three models predicted that the mass increases an electron, the closer it approaches the speed of light. After the " Bucherer -Langevin model" was relatively quickly rejected, it was to distinguish between Abraham's and the Lorentz - Einstein formula. Were particularly important in this context Bucherer's experiments (1908), in which he repeated the experiments improves the speed dependence of the mass by Walter Kaufmann. Kaufmann was indeed the first ( 1901-1903 ), who proved that the mass varied with the speed, but he believed that the data of his more recent experiments (1905 ) spoke theory rather for Abraham. Bucherer, however, believed that his own experiments had confirmed the Lorentz - Einstein model, and thus the principle of relativity. The following were in many representations Bucherer measurements (which were repeated in 1914, for example, von Neumann ) seen as confirmation of the special theory of relativity and the relativistic mass and as a refutation of Abraham 's theory ( but this was immediately drawn by Adolf Bestelmeyer in doubt). Much later (1938 ) it was found that the Kaufmann- Bucherer - Neumann experiments, although in general the velocity dependence of the mass confirmed, but were not accurate enough to distinguish between the various competing models. That is until 1940 managed in favor of the theory of relativity.

Alfred Bucherer criticized (1923 and 1924 ) in some work the general theory of relativity. This criticism, however, was rejected by Wenzl, who referred to a misinterpretation of the equivalence principle by Bucherer.

Publications

• Bucherer, A.: The effect of magnetism on the electro-motive force. In: Annals of Physics. 294, No. 7, 1896, pp. 564-578. doi: 10.1002/andp.18962940710.

• Bucherer, A.: Followup To: The effect of magnetism on the electro-motive force. In: Annals of Physics. 295, No. 12, 1896, pp. 735-741. doi: 10.1002/andp.18962951208.

• Bucherer, A.: Correction to " magnetism and electro-motive force." In: Annals of Physics. 297, No. 8, 1897, pp. 807 doi: 10.1002/andp.18972970814.

• Bucherer, A.: On the theory of Thermoelektricität of electrolytes. In: Annals of Physics. 308, No. 10, 1900, pp. 204-209. doi: 10.1002/andp.19003081004.

• Bucherer, A.: About the force field of a uniformly moving charge. In: Annals of Physics. 313, No. 6, 1902, pp. 326-335. doi: 10.1002/andp.19023130606.

• Bucherer, A.: Correction. In: Annals of Physics. 314, No. 9, 1902, pp. 496 doi: 10.1002/andp.19023141015.

• Bucherer, A.: Elements of Vector Analysis with examples of theoretical physics. Teubner, Leipzig, 1903.

• Bucherer, A.: On the influence of Earth's motion on the intensity of the light. In: Annals of Physics. 316, No. 6, 1903b, pp. 270-283. doi: 10.1002/andp.19033160604.

• Bucherer, A.: Mathematical Introduction to the electron theory. Teubner, Leipzig, 1904.

• Bucherer, A.: The deformed electron and the theory of electromagnetism. In: Physical review. 6, 1905, pp. 833-834.

• Bucherer, A.: An attempt to display the electro-magnetism, due to the relative movement. In: Physical review. 7, 1906, pp. 553-557.

• Bucherer, A.: On a new Principle of Relativity in Electromagnetism. In: Philosophical Magazine. 13, 1907, pp. 413-421.

• Bucherer, A.: The Action of Uniform Electric and Magnetic Fields on Moving Electrons. In: Philosophical Magazine. 13, 1907, p 721

• Bucherer, A.: Measurements of Becquerel rays. The experimental confirmation of the Lorentz - Einstein theory .. In: Physical review. 9, 1908, pp. 755-762.

• Bucherer, A.: On the Principle of Relativity and on the Electromagnetic Mass of the Electron. A Reply to Mr. Cunningham. In: Philosophical Magazine. 15, 1908, pp. 316-318.

• Bucherer, A.: The experimental confirmation of the principle of relativity. In: Annals of Physics. 333, No. 3, 1909, pp. 513-536. doi: 10.1002/andp.19093330305.

• Bucherer, A.: Addendum to my work: "Confirmation of the principle of relativity ." In: Annals of Physics. 334, No. 10, 1909, S. 1063, doi: . 10.1002/andp.19093341011.

• Bucherer, A.: Responding to criticism of Mr. E. Bestelmeyer about my experimental confirmation of the relativity principle. In: Annals of Physics. 335, No. 15, 1909, pp. 974-986. doi: 10.1002/andp.19093351506.

• Bucherer, A.: reply to the remarks of Mr. A. Bestelmeyer. In: Annals of Physics. 338, No. 14, 1910, pp. 853-856. doi: 10.1002/andp.19103381414.

• Bucherer, A.: The latest provisions of the specific charge of the electron. In: Annals of Physics. 342, No. 3, 1912, pp. 597-598. doi: 10.1002/andp.19123420311.

• Bucherer, A.: gravitational and quantum theory. In: Annals of Physics. 373, No. 9, 1922, pp. 1-10. doi: 10.1002/andp.19223730902.

• Bucherer, A.: gravitational and quantum theory. II In: Annals of Physics. 373, No. 14, 1922, pp. 545-550. doi: 10.1002/andp.19223731403.

• Bucherer, A.: The role of the site in the theory of relativity. A response to the criticism of Mr. A. Wenzl. In: Annals of Physics. 378, No. 5-6, 1924, pp. 397-402. doi: 10.1002/andp.19243780506.

• Bucherer, A.: Correction to work, " The role of the site in the theory of relativity ". In: Annals of Physics. 379, No. 9, 1924, pp. 104 doi: 10.1002/andp.19243790906.