Translating Henri Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D. Those of you who have attended previous presentations I’ve given are probably aware that I encouraged questions and interacted extensively with the audience. This presentation will not be like that; please hold your questions to the end. September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D. September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Rendiconti del circolo matematico di Palermo Meeting of July 23, 1905 Printed December 14, 1905 Session of June 5, 1905 September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Annalen der Physik 17 (1905): 891-921 Received: June 30, 1905 Published: September 26,1905 Annalen der Physik 17 (1905): 891-921 Dated: Bern,June1905 Received: 30 June 1905 Published: 26 September 1905 In: Annalen der Physik 17 (1905): 891-921 September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

E. T. Whittaker, 1951 L. de Broglie (1954) J. D. Jackson (1962) P. Galison (2003) O. Darrigol (2004) Poincaré établissait ainsi sur des bases solides la nouvelle dynamique relativiste de l’électron qui a encore à l’heure actuelle tant d’applications : il accomplissait ainsi une œuvre capitale, mais en même temps, peut-être parce-qu’il était plus analyste que physicien, il n’apercevait pas le point de vue général appuyé sur une critique très fine de la mesure des distances des durées que le jeune Albert Einstein venait de découvrir dans une géniale intuition et qui le conduisait à une transformation complète de nos idées sur le temps. Poincaré n’a pas franchi ce pas décisif, mais il est, avec Lorentz, celui qui a le plus contribué à le rendre possible. In 1905, almost at the same time as Poincaré and without knowledge of Lorentz’s paper, Einstein formulated special relativity in a general and complete way obtaining the results of Lorentz and Poincaré but showing that his ideas were of much wider applicability. Instead of basing his discussion on electrodynamics, Einstein showed that just two postulates were necessary, one of them involving a very general property of light. Did Einstein really discover relativity? Did Poincaré already have it? These old questions have grown as tedious as they are fruitless. ... From our perspective, assigning a graded checklist to Einstein and Poincaré counts as the least interesting part of the story of time and simultaneity. Once this sort of prejudice has been eliminated, the interesting question no longer is whether a contemporary of Einstein got it right or wrong—-using Einstein as a gauge—-but how the similarities and dissimilarities between his and Einstein’s approaches can be explained. Title: A history of the theories of aether and electricity. Author/ Creator: Whittaker, E. T. 1873-1956. Publisher: London, New York T. Nelson [1951]- Physical Description: volumes : diagrams ; 25 cm Specific Disc/ Volume Needed: Vol. 2: The Modern Theories, 1900-1926 September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Starting to Translate Poincaré Lorentz 1898 1899 1900 1904 1905 1906 La mesure du temps 1898 1899 1900 1904 1905 1906 1908 On a simplified theory of the electrical and optical phenomena in moving bodies La théorie de Lorentz et le principe de réaction Electromagnetic phenomena in a system moving with any velocity smaller than that of light Sur la dynamique de l'électron La dynamique de l'électron September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

What’s Interesting? Poincaré Lorentz 1898 1899 1900 1904 1905 1906 Interaction Lorentz Measurement of time Clock synchronization Situated in philosophy La mesure du temps 1898 1899 1900 1904 1905 1906 1908 Radiation carries momentum and energy La théorie de Lorentz et le principe de réaction Choice of notation No mention of J. J. Thomson or English scientists, why? Origin of term “Lorentz transformation” Lorentz transformations form a group Maxwell’s equations are invariant under Lorentz transformation Classical radius of electron Electron shape Poincaré stresses Sur la dynamique de l'électron Aberration Reducto ad absurdum arguments against ether La dynamique de l'électron September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Status I have a draft translation of the five articles by Poincaré I’m looking at developing this into a two part book: Translation Chapters on what l find interesting Then the books I still plan to translate September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.

Previous Project: Complete September 8, 2017 Translating Poincaré Bruce D. Popp, Ph.D.