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 On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies.

By (Göttingen).

Meeting of January 17, 1909.

§ 1. Introduction.

It's known that the fundamental equations of the electrodynamics of moving bodies as stated by, which could be seen as the obvious generalization of 's field equations for resting bodies, are insufficient; they contradict the experiments conducted by  and  concerning the behavior of moving dielectrics.

Those experimental results are in agreement with the electrodynamic theories of and of  The heuristic ideas by which the two researchers were led, are mutually different throughout; while  starts from equations concerning the behavior of electrons and molecules,  tries to establish the simplest description of electromagnetic processes in the sense of.

The inconclusiveness of all attempts up to now, to discover an influence of Earth's motion upon the electromagnetic processes happening at Earth's surface, is satisfactorily explained by the theory of. On the other hand, the electron theory of, which is based on the electromagnetic field in the aether, lays the view near at hand, that the motion of a system through the aether