2019•arXiv (Cornell University)Open access
Why did Einstein Reject the November Tensor in 1912-1913, only to Come\n Back to it in November 1915?
Galina Weinstein
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Abstract
The question of Einstein's rejection of the November tensor is re-examined in\nlight of conflicting answers by several historians. I discuss these conflicting\nconjectures in view of three questions that should inform our thinking: Why did\nEinstein reject the November tensor in 1912, only to come back to it in 1915?\nWhy was it hard for Einstein to recognize that the November tensor is a natural\ngeneralization of Newton's law of gravitation? Why did it take him three years\nto realize that the November tensor is not incompatible with Newton's law? I\nfirst briefly describe Einstein's work in the Zurich Notebook. I then discuss a\nnumber of interpretive conjectures formulated by historians and what may be\ninferred from them. Finally, I offer a new combined conjecture that answers the\nabove questions.\n
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