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1、ONTHEELECTRODYNAMICSOFMOVINGBODIESByA.EinsteinJune30,1905ItisknownthatMaxwell'selectrodynamics--asusuallyunderstoodatthepresenttime--whenappliedtomovingbodies,leadstoasymmetrieswhichdonotappeartobeinherentinthephenomena.Take,forexample,thereciprocalelectrodynamicactionofamagne
2、tandaconductor.Theobservablephenomenonheredependsonlyontherelativemotionoftheconductorandthemagnet,whereasthecustomaryviewdrawsasharpdistinctionbetweenthetwocasesinwhicheithertheoneortheotherofthesebodiesisinmotion.Forifthemagnetisinmotionandtheconductoratrest,therearisesinthe
3、neighbourhoodofthemagnetanelectricfieldwithacertaindefiniteenergy,producingacurrentattheplaceswherepartsoftheconductoraresituated.Butifthemagnetisstationaryandtheconductorinmotion,noelectricfieldarisesintheneighbourhoodofthemagnet.Intheconductor,however,wefindanelectromotivefo
4、rce,towhichinitselfthereisnocorrespondingenergy,butwhichgivesrise--assumingequalityofrelativemotioninthetwocasesdiscussed--toelectriccurrentsofthesamepathandintensityasthoseproducedbytheelectricforcesintheformercase.Examplesofthissort,togetherwiththeunsuccessfulattemptstodisco
5、veranymotionoftheearthrelativelytothe``lightmedium,''suggestthatthephenomenaofelectrodynamicsaswellasofmechanicspossessnopropertiescorrespondingtotheideaofabsoluterest.Theysuggestratherthat,ashasalreadybeenshowntothefirstorderofsmallquantities,thesamelawsofelectrodynamicsandop
6、ticswillbevalid1forallframesofreferenceforwhichtheequationsofmechanicsholdgood.Wewillraisethisconjecture(thepurportofwhichwillhereafterbecalledthe``PrincipleofRelativity'')tothestatusofapostulate,andalsointroduceanotherpostulate,whichisonlyapparentlyirreconcilablewiththeformer
7、,namely,thatlightisalwayspropagatedinemptyspacewithadefinitevelocitycwhichisindependentofthestateofmotionoftheemittingbody.ThesetwopostulatessufficefortheattainmentofasimpleandconsistenttheoryoftheelectrodynamicsofmovingbodiesbasedonMaxwell'stheoryforstationarybodies.Theintrod
8、uctionofa``luminiferousether''willprovetobesuperfluousinasmuc
