Einstein equations and Hilbert action: what is missing on page 8 of the proofs for Hilbert's first communication on the foundations of physics? (Q2577195): Difference between revisions

Hilbert's \textit{First Communication} on the \textit{Foundations of Physics} was first presented to the Göttin\-gen Academy of Sciences on 20th November 1915, while Einstein's \textit{The Field Equation of Gravitation} was presented to the Berlin Academy of Sciences on 25th November 1915. Hilbert and Einstein arrived at the final gravitational field equations by different methods. It was pointed out in 1997 that proofs for the above mentioned paper of Hilbert are to be found in Hilbert archives in Göttingen, as well as that a portion of one sheet of the proofs of Hilbert's \textit{First Communication} is missing. The author briefly discusses events related to these publications and addresses the question as to what could have been on the missing part of the manuscript. His conclusion is that the missing piece contained the explicit form of the Riemann curvature scalar in terms of the Ricci tensor as a specification of the axiomatically undetermined Lagrangian in Hilbert's action integral. An alternative hypothesis already in circulation is examined: Whether the missing piece could have contained the explicit form of the variational derivative for some gravitational Lagrangian \(K\). Specifically under the assumption that \(K\) was defined or characterized as the Riemannian curvature scalar, it would then have displayed what is now called the Einstein tensor with its trace term \(Kg_{\mu\nu}/2\). The author argues, by analyzing the internal logic and structure of both the proofs and Hilbert's published paper that this is highly unlikely (in addition to having to physically fit too much material on the small missing piece of the proofs). The author suggests still some other questions.