Reference: Einstein’s 1920 Book
This paper presents Part 1, Chapter 4 from the book RELATIVITY: THE SPECIAL AND GENERAL THEORY by A. EINSTEIN. The contents are from the original publication of this book by Henry Holt and Company, New York (1920).
The paragraphs of the original material (in black) are accompanied by brief comments (in color) based on the present understanding. Feedback on these comments is appreciated.
The heading below is linked to the original materials.
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The Galileian System of Co-ordinates
As is well known, the fundamental law of the mechanics of Galilei-Newton, which is known as the law of inertia, can be stated thus: A body removed sufficiently far from other bodies continues in a state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line.
What is omitted here is that bodies of different inertia shall have different uniform motion (velocity). The greater is the mass (inertia) of a body, the slower is its characteristic uniform velocity.
This law not only says something about the motion of the bodies, but it also indicates the reference-bodies or systems of co-ordinates, permissible in mechanics, which can be used in mechanical description. The visible fixed stars are bodies for which the law of inertia certainly holds to a high degree of approximation. Now if we use a system of co-ordinates which is rigidly attached to the earth, then, relative to this system, every fixed star describes a circle of immense radius in the course of an astronomical day, a result which is opposed to the statement of the law of inertia. So that if we adhere to this law we must refer these motions only to systems of co-ordinates relative to which the fixed stars do not move in a circle.
Per the law of inertia stars cannot describe a big circle in a day. Therefore, we know that earth is rotating around its axis.
A system of co-ordinates of which the state of motion is such that the law of inertia holds relative to it is called a “Galileian system of co-ordinates.” The laws of the mechanics of Galilei-Newton can be regarded as valid only for a Galileian system of co-ordinates.
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FINAL COMMENTS
The law of inertia is: “A body removed sufficiently far from other bodies continues in a state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line.” A system of co-ordinates of which the state of motion is such that the law of inertia holds relative to it is called a “Galilean system of co-ordinates.”
This system assumes that the same inertia can be associated with different unconstrained uniform velocities. In other words, the unconstrained uniform velocity of a reference body does not depend upon its inertia.
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