The principle of equivalence

The principle of equivalence is examined in its role as a test which a prospective theory of gravitation must satisfy. This point of view suggests that the commonly stipulated property of “locality” is inherent in the gravitational field and not in the principle. The original formulation of Einstein...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of physics 1964-10, Vol.29 (3), p.383-390
Main Author: Harvey, A.L
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The principle of equivalence is examined in its role as a test which a prospective theory of gravitation must satisfy. This point of view suggests that the commonly stipulated property of “locality” is inherent in the gravitational field and not in the principle. The original formulation of Einstein ( 1) is taken to be correct and complete. This is a “strong” principle in the sense of Dicke ( 8). The “weak” principle, i.e., the postulation of no more than equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass, can be satisfied by theories which predict a smaller gravitational acceleration for a rotating than for a nonrotating object. Consequently, only the strong form can be considered to be acceptable. The situation is illustrated by application (due originally to Einstein) to the first theory of Nördstrom ( 10), a simple, special relativistic generalization of Newtonian theory, and the general theory of relativity.
ISSN:0003-4916
1096-035X
DOI:10.1016/0003-4916(64)90005-3