Einstein's other uh-oh

Mr. Perfect

I was looking through the Einstein field equations today and pondered over a point I'd missed before. Einstein included a gravitational constant that is dependent on the Newtonian derived constant. Of all the terms in the field equations this has as much or more uncertainty than any of them. In SI units, the 2018 CODATA-recommended value of the gravitational constant (with standard uncertainty in parentheses) is:

G = 6.67430 ( 15 ) × 10 − 11 m3 ⋅k g− 1 ⋅ s− 2

This corresponds to a relative standard uncertainty of 2.2×10−5 (22 ppm).

Thus k from the field equations is ≈ 1.866×10−26 m⋅kg−1

[thank you wikipedia for that quick lookup]

So, it's a pretty small term, meaning its impact on the solution set is correspondingly small, but it's pretty inaccurate regardless, and the term gets divided by a very large term (the speed of light) making it practically meaningless (10^-26 is pretty small). So, while we really don't know what that number actually is, it's a curious factor to include if the impact is going to be so small.

Clearly Einstein thought this fudge factor was important. Still, I expected better. Einstein thought his initial cosmological constant was the biggest blunder of his life. Maybe so but this seems a close second and no one seems to be talking about it.

dcon12

I think you may be right. Don

mohawk600

Quantum theory has done much to unify physics. We don't know it all, but Einstein was ahead of his time and on the right track. Just imagine Einstein alive today with all of the current research tools at his disposal. 

"It is very hard for mere humans to decipher the fantastic machine that God has set into motion." Mohawk600 2020.

iceracerx

Flying Clay Disk said:

Keep in mind, every single Physicist since Einstein has made their living on trying to prove him wrong.

iceracerx

Flying Clay Disk said:

Keep in mind, every single Physicist since Einstein has made their living on trying to prove him wrong.

Einstein revolutionized the physical properties world, hands down.  The Special and General theories staggered science of the day...and ever since then the only Physicists who are notable have tried to prove him wrong.  Hawking was a joke, and sadly a novelty!  So was Sagan.  None of these guys did anything to advance the science.  Einstein was working on hard problems, the rest of them were working on minor problems to prove Einstein wrong, simply because they couldn't stand the idea he was right.  So, they set up tests to analyze every single thing he ever did and pick it apart.  Okay...where was he wrong?...at the end of the day?

Einstein felt he failed, but did he...really?

Odd, I know a physicist that made his living (while in the halls of academia) creating the science that allowed the creation of CD and MP3 disks.  He sure wasn't wasting time trying to prove anyone wrong. 

dreher

Wow!  Either some of you operate mentally in different ways than most of us or....................... some of you are amazing BSers!!!!!   I can't even guess which one of those thoughts is true!!      

Mr. Perfect

iceracerx said:

Flying Clay Disk said:

Keep in mind, every single Physicist since Einstein has made their living on trying to prove him wrong.

Einstein revolutionized the physical properties world, hands down.  The Special and General theories staggered science of the day...and ever since then the only Physicists who are notable have tried to prove him wrong.  Hawking was a joke, and sadly a novelty!  So was Sagan.  None of these guys did anything to advance the science.  Einstein was working on hard problems, the rest of them were working on minor problems to prove Einstein wrong, simply because they couldn't stand the idea he was right.  So, they set up tests to analyze every single thing he ever did and pick it apart.  Okay...where was he wrong?...at the end of the day?

Einstein felt he failed, but did he...really?

Odd, I know a physicist that made his living (while in the halls of academia) creating the science that allowed the creation of CD and MP2 disks.  He sure wasn't wasting time trying to prove anyone wrong. 

Maybe FCD meant quantum physicists? I dunno, but it is an odd claim either way. Many like Malcolm MacCallum certainly weren't.

montanajoe

...but was he ever an internet forum MOD??,,,,

chiefr

Newton stated gravity was relative to mass and distance to put it in easy to understand terms. Einstein realized on a grand scale Newton theory was wrong because gravity can be cancelled out. IE the elevator experiment.
 

bs233jl

What ??

Don McManus

Einstein recreated the interaction of mass, velocity, light, and time within the confines of his skull. From any measure he was correct on almost all points.

a little uncertainty at the margins is not, IMO, anything approaching failure.

discusdad

lost me at "the angle of the dangle"

Sam06

I think Einstein was an alien.

hillbille

after 6 month not seeing a barber,  I am begining to look like him!!!!!!!!

Mr. Perfect

Don McManus said:

Einstein recreated the interaction of mass, velocity, light, and time within the confines of his skull. From any measure he was correct on almost all points.

a little uncertainty at the margins is not, IMO, anything approaching failure.

I'm not saying failure, and "blunder" is Einstein's own term for the cosmological constant error he made. I'm merely suggesting that if that term was the biggest (in these equations) then this is the second.

bustedknee

Albert Einstein Quote:

“Intelligence is not the ability to store information, but to know where to find it.”

serf

They even saved his brain for prosperity! I think splitting the atom locally was a  mistake myself. Too much radiation for human life.

                   serf

 http://muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/albert-einsteins-brain/

 Scientists who have examined his brain have concluded that it is not normal. While Einstein’s brain weighs less than the brain of an average adult male, 2.7lbs versus 3 lbs, the inferior parietal region of the brain is 15% larger than in an average brain. Some scientists think that the brain lacks an anatomical crevice called the Sylvian fissure.

mogley98

My math/physics is really bad as in they let me stop taking math in 9th grade so I'm going to go with whatever you say. good thing they have Engineers and physicists

asop

I wonder if old Ein was the type of guy you would like to go out and have a beer with

hillbille

asop said:

I wonder if old Ein was the type of guy you would like to go out and have a beer with

only if your not a relative, has something to do with his theory of relatives.......

brier-49

His other theory because of his large chested cousin.
the theory of relativetitty