Weyl

had to choose one or the other, I usually chose the Beautiful. Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl (1885-1955). German mathematical physicist. In 1918, proposed an early form of gauge symmetry in an attempt to unify electrodynamics and gravitation. Subsequently applied a similar approach to quantum physics and discovered what is today considered one of the mos... t profound and beautiful concepts in modern physics -- the principle of gauge invariance. Shortly after Einstein announced his theory of general relativity (gravitation) in November 1915, Weyl began an intensive study of the theory's mathematics and was soon publishing related scientific papers dealing with its physical applications. In 1918 Weyl published his book Raum-Zeit-Materie (Space-Time-Matter), which provided the first fully comprehensive analysis of the geometric aspects of the theory and its relationship with spacetime physics. One of the topics covered in the book was Weyl's idea that gravity and electromagnetism might both be derivable from a generalization of Riemannian geometry, the mathematical basis from which Einstein had developed his relativity theory. Weyl's idea was based on a new mathematical symmetry that he called gauge invariance. I came across Weyl's book in 1975, but it didn't impress me very much because I didn't know general relativity. However, in the summer of that year I stumbled across Misner-Thorne-Wheeler's massive Gravitation during a one-week work assignment in the microscopic rural town of Lone Pine, California (which then had a population of perhaps 500 people). Miraculously, the town's tiny public library somehow had this book, which is now regarded as a classic graduate text on general relativity. I checked out the book and brought it back to the hotel room to read in the off-hours. The book took immediate and total possession of me, and motivated me to learn everything I could about general relativity. (I spoke with co-author Kip Thorne about this in 1994, and he was quite amused to learn where one of his books had ended ...Read More