- Alfred Bucherer
Alfred Heinrich Bucherer (*
July 9 ,1863 inCologne ; †April 16 1927 inBonn ) was a Germanphysicist , who is known for his experiments onrelativistic mass . He also coined the phrase "theory of relativity ".Education
He studied from 1884 until 1899 at the
University of Hannover , theJohns Hopkins University , theUniversity of Strassburg , theUniversity of Leipzig , and theUniversity of Bonn . In Bonn he habilitated in 1899 and taught there until 1923. [NDB|2|700|700|Bucherer, Alfred Heinrich|Max von Laue]Work
In 1903 Bucherer published the first German-language book to be completely based on
vector calculus . [Citation | author=Crowe, M. J. | year=1967 | title= A History of Vector Analysis: The Evolution of the Idea of a Vectorial System | place= Notre Dame |publisher=University of Notre Dame Press]In 1904 he developed a theory of
electron s, in which the electrons contract in the line of motion, and expand perpendicular to it. (Independently of himPaul Langevin developed a very similar model in 1905). The Bucherer-Langevin model was an alternative to the electron model ofHendrik Lorentz (1899),Henri Poincaré (1905, 1906) andAlbert Einstein (1905) (in which the electrons are subjected tolength contraction without expansion in the other direction) and the model ofMax Abraham (in which the electron is rigid). All three models predict an increase of the electron mass, if their velocity approach thespeed of light . However, the Bucherer-Langevin model was quickly abandoned, so they tried to distinguish between Abraham's theory and the Lorentz-Einstein theory by experiment. (It's notable that Bucherer was the first in 1906, who changed Max Planck's term "relative theory" into "relativity theory" to describe the Lorentz-Einstein theory). [Citation | author=Miller, A.I. | year=1981 | title= Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity. Emergence (1905) and early interpretation (1905–1911) | place= Reading |publisher=Addison–Wesley |isbn=0-201-04679-2]In this connection Bucherer's experiments (1908), in which he tried to improve the experiments of Walter Kaufmann on the velocity dependence of mass, were extremely important. Kaufmann (1901-1905) was the first who proved that dependence, but he believed that his experiments confirmed Abraham's theory, and disproved the Lorentz-Einstein theory. Contrary to Kaufmann, Bucherer believed that his own experiments (1908) confirmed the Lorentz-Einstein theory and the
principle of relativity . Following Bucherer (and others like Neumann), it was believed that Bucherer's experiments in fact confirmed special relativity, and disproved Abraham's theory. But it was shown in 1938, that all those experiments of Kaufmann, Bucherer and Neumann showed that the mass is of course velocity dependent, but they were to imprecise to distinguish between the different models. So it was not before 1940, when Abraham's theory was disproved andspecial relativity and the concept ofrelativistic mass was confirmed. [Citation | author=Janssen, M., Mecklenburg, M. | year=2007 | contribution= [http://www.tc.umn.edu/~janss011/ From classical to relativistic mechanics: Electromagnetic models of the electron] | editor=V. F. Hendricks, et.al.| journal=Interactions: Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy | pages= 65–134 | place=Dordrecht|publisher=Springer]Later (1923, 1924), Bucherer criticized
general relativity in some papers. However, this criticism was rejected by Wenzl, who argued that Bucherer misinterpreted Einstein's equivalence hypothesis. [Citation | author=Wenzl, M., | year=1923 | title=Gegen ein Mißverständnis der Äquivalenzhypothese | journal= Annalen der Physik | volume=377| pages= 457–460 | doi=10.1002/andp.19233772203 ]ources
Publications
*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1896
title=Die Wirkung des Magnetismus auf die electromotorische Kraft
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=294
issue=7
pages=564–578
doi=10.1002/andp.18962940710*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1896
title=Nachtrag zu: Die Wirkung des Magnetismus auf die electromotorische Kraft
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=295
issue=12
pages=735–741
doi=10.1002/andp.18962951208*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1897
title=Berichtigung zu "Magnetismus und electromotorische Kraft"
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=297
issue=8
pages=807
doi=10.1002/andp.18972970814*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1898
title=Ueber osmotischen Druck
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=300
issue=3
pages=549–554
doi=10.1002/andp.18983000307*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1900
title=Zur Theorie der Thermoelektricität der Elektrolyte
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=308
issue=10
pages=204–209
doi=10.1002/andp.19003081004*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1902
title=Ueber das Kraftfeld einer sich gleichförmig bewegenden Ladung
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=313
issue=6
pages=326–335
doi=10.1002/andp.19023130606*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1902
title=Berichtigung
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=314
issue=9
pages=496
doi=10.1002/andp.19023141015*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1903
title=Elemente der Vektor-Analysis mit Beispielen aus der theoretischen Physik
publisher=Teubner
place=Leipzig*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1903
title=Über den Einfluß der Erdbewegung auf die Intensität des Lichtes
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=316
issue=6
pages=270–283
doi=10.1002/andp.19033160604*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1904
title=Mathematische Einführung in die Elektronentheorie
publisher=Teubner
place=Leipzig*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1905
title=Das deformierte Elektron und die Theorie des Elektromagnetismus
journal=Physikalische Zeitschrift
volume =6
pages =833–834*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1907
title=On a new Principle of Relativity in Electromagnetism
journal=Philosophical Magazine
volume =13
pages =413–421*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1907
title=The Action of Uniform Electric and Magnetic Fields on Moving Electrons
journal=Philosophical Magazine
volume =13
pages =721*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1908
title=Messungen an Becquerelstrahlen. Die experimentelle Bestätigung der Lorentz-Einsteinschen Theorie
journal=Physikalische Zeitschrift
volume =9
pages =755–762*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1908
title=On the Principle of Relativity and on the Electromagnetic Mass of the Electron. A Reply to Mr. Cunningham
journal=Philosophical Magazine
volume =15
pages =316–318*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1909
title=Die experimentelle Bestätigung des Relativitätsprinzips
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=333
issue=3
pages= 513–536
doi=10.1002/andp.19093330305*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1909
title=Nachtrag zu meiner Arbeit: "Bestätigung des Relativitätsprinzips"
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=334
issue=10
pages=1063
doi=10.1002/andp.19093341011*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1909
title=Antwort auf die Kritik des Hrn. E. Bestelmeyer bezüglich meiner experimentellen Bestätigung des Relativitätsprinzips
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=335
issue=15
pages=974–986
doi=10.1002/andp.19093351506*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1910
title=Erwiderung auf die Bemerkungen des Hrn. A. Bestelmeyer
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=338
issue=14
pages=853–856
doi=10.1002/andp.19103381414*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1912
title=Die neuesten Bestimmungen der spezifischen Ladung des Elektrons
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=342
issue=3
pages=597–598
doi=10.1002/andp.19123420311*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1922
title=Gravitation und Quantentheorie
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=373
issue=9
pages=1–10
doi=10.1002/andp.19223730902*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1922
title=Gravitation und Quantentheorie. II
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=373
issue=14
pages=545–550
doi=10.1002/andp.19223731403*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1924
title=Die Rolle des Standorts in der Relativitätstheorie. Eine Antwort auf die Kritik des Hrn. A. Wenzl
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=378
issue=5-6
pages= 397–402
url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k153753/f411.table
doi=10.1002/andp.19243780506*Citation
author=Bucherer, A. H.
year=1924
title=Berichtigung zur Arbeit "Die Rolle des Standorts in der Relativitätstheorie"
journal=Annalen der Physik
volume=379
issue=9
pages=104
doi=10.1002/andp.19243790906ee also
*
History of special relativity
*Lorentz ether theory
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