Hermann Minkowski and the special theory of relativity

IF 1.5 4区物理与天体物理 Q2 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

The European Physical Journal H Pub Date : 2026-07-17 DOI:10.1140/epjh/s13129-026-00124-2

Alberto T. Pérez, José Ferreirós, María de Paz

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Abstract

The special theory of relativity as we understand it today owes much to the figure of Hermann Minkowski. His are several fundamental concepts that appear in current textbooks. However, his contributions are not always recognized. Furthermore, some historians of science judge him with a certain severity, undermining the importance of his contributions. He himself provoked this attitude to some extent by arguing in his articles that mathematicians were in a better position than physicists to understand the new theory. This article is devoted to the figure of Minkowski in two aspects. On the one hand, we analyze the status of Minkowski’s original ideas in the special theory of relativity as currently studied and taught. We show that some textbooks of reference in physics do not properly acknowledge the contributions of Minkowski. On the other hand, we will illustrate with some examples how the figure of Minkowski is perceived by historians. We see that even today he has his supporters and detractors.

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赫尔曼·闵可夫斯基和狭义相对论

我们今天所理解的狭义相对论在很大程度上要归功于赫尔曼·闵可夫斯基。这是目前教科书中出现的几个基本概念。然而，他的贡献并不总是得到承认。此外，一些科学史家对他的评价相当严厉，削弱了他贡献的重要性。在某种程度上，他自己在他的文章中提出，数学家比物理学家更能理解这个新理论，从而激起了这种态度。本文从两个方面对闵可夫斯基的形象进行了探讨。一方面，我们分析了闵可夫斯基的原创思想在狭义相对论教学中的地位。我们指出一些参考物理教科书没有正确地承认闵可夫斯基的贡献。另一方面，我们将用一些例子来说明历史学家如何看待闵可夫斯基这个人物。我们看到，即使在今天，他也有支持者和批评者。

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来源期刊

The European Physical Journal H HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE-PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

CiteScore

1.60

自引率

10.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The purpose of this journal is to catalyse, foster, and disseminate an awareness and understanding of the historical development of ideas in contemporary physics, and more generally, ideas about how Nature works. The scope explicitly includes: - Contributions addressing the history of physics and of physical ideas and concepts, the interplay of physics and mathematics as well as the natural sciences, and the history and philosophy of sciences, together with discussions of experimental ideas and designs - inasmuch as they clearly relate, and preferably add, to the understanding of modern physics. - Annotated and/or contextual translations of relevant foreign-language texts. - Careful characterisations of old and/or abandoned ideas including past mistakes and false leads, thereby helping working physicists to assess how compelling contemporary ideas may turn out to be in future, i.e. with hindsight.