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 beauty of a theory is often a guide to its truth.
We are like children playing on the seashore, while the great ocean of truth lies undiscovered before us.
The advance of physics is marked by the discovery of new phenomena which cannot be explained by existing theories.
The idea of absolute rest is devoid of meaning.
The equations of motion of an electron must be modified when the electron moves with a velocity comparable to that of light.
It is a remarkable fact that the laws of electromagnetism can be expressed in a form which is invariant under the Lorentz transformation.
The principle of relativity requires that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers in uniform motion.
The concept of the ether, though it has been very useful, may have to be abandoned if it leads to contradictions with experiment.
The true value of a theory is shown by its fruitfulness in suggesting new experiments and explaining new facts.
Contemporaries of Hendrik Lorentz
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Hendrik Lorentz (1853–1928).