Hendrik Lorentz
Developed the Lorentz transformations, which form the basis of Einstein's special relativity.
Most quoted
"One cannot escape the feeling that these mathematical formulae have an independent existence and an intelligence of their own, that they are wiser than we are, wiser even than their discoverers, that we get more out of them than was originally put into them."
— from Attributed remark
"It is not impossible that in the future we may have theories which are more general than those we now possess, and which will reduce our present theories to special cases, just as the theory of relativity has reduced the older mechanics to a special case."
— from Lectures on Theoretical Physics, 1920
"The difficulties which we encounter in the theory of electrons are largely due to the fact that we are dealing with phenomena which are on the borderland between the domain of ordinary experience and that of the infinitely small."
— from The Theory of Electrons, 1909
All quotes by Hendrik Lorentz (409)
The contraction of bodies in the direction of their motion, which I have assumed, is not a mere hypothesis, but a necessary consequence of the electromagnetic theory.
The time indicated by a clock moving with the earth is not the true time, but a local time, which depends on the velocity of the earth.
It is not possible to decide whether the earth is at rest or in motion relative to the ether.
The mass of an electron depends on its velocity.
The equations of motion of the electrons must be modified in such a way that they remain invariant for a transformation to a moving system.
The principle of relativity, according to which the phenomena in a system moving uniformly with respect to the ether are the same as in a system at rest, is not an exact one.
The electron is not an indivisible particle, but a structure of the ether.
The true nature of light is still a mystery.
The laws of physics must be the same for all observers, regardless of their state of motion.
The concept of absolute rest has no physical meaning.
The velocity of light is the ultimate speed limit in the universe.
The universe is not a static entity, but a dynamic one.
The human mind is capable of understanding the deepest mysteries of the universe.
Science is a never-ending quest for knowledge.
The beauty of physics lies in its simplicity and elegance.
The ether, if it exists, must be absolutely immovable.
The electromagnetic field is not a property of matter, but an independent entity.
The electron is the elementary quantity of electricity.
The forces acting between electrons are not instantaneous, but propagate with the speed of light.
The phenomena of light can be explained by the vibrations of electrons in the ether.
Contemporaries of Hendrik Lorentz
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Hendrik Lorentz (1853–1928).