“That the existence of these motions (the "axiom of free mobility") is a desideratum, if not… a necessity, for a geometry applicable to physical space, has been forcefully argued on a priori grounds by von Helmholtz, Whitehead, Russell and others; for only in a homogeneous and isotropic space can the traditional concept of a rigid body be maintained.”

Geometry as a Branch of Physics (1949)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "That the existence of these motions (the "axiom of free mobility") is a desideratum, if not… a necessity, for a geometr…" by Howard P. Robertson?
Howard P. Robertson photo
Howard P. Robertson 28
American mathematician and physicist 1903–1961

Related quotes

“[O]nly in a homogeneous and isotropic space can the traditional concept of a rigid body be maintained.”

Howard P. Robertson (1903–1961) American mathematician and physicist

Geometry as a Branch of Physics (1949)

Willem de Sitter photo
Philip Warren Anderson photo
Hans Reichenbach photo
Newton Lee photo

“Unfairness builds character and brings diversity to the otherwise homogeneous and isotropic existence.”

Newton Lee American computer scientist

Google It: Total Information Awareness, 2016

William Kingdon Clifford photo
Hans Reichenbach photo
Paul Carus photo

“The truth is that other systems of geometry are possible, yet after all, these other systems are not spaces but other methods of space measurements. There is one space only, though we may conceive of many different manifolds, which are contrivances or ideal constructions invented for the purpose of determining space.”

Paul Carus (1852–1919) American philosopher

Science, Vol. 18 (1903), p. 106, as reported in Memorabilia Mathematica; or, The Philomath's Quotation-Book https://archive.org/stream/memorabiliamathe00moriiala#page/81/mode/2up, (1914), by Robert Edouard Moritz, p. 352

Related topics