Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-03
Astronomer Doubts Need of
Introducing Fourth Dimension
Into Relatively Formula.
own THEORY OF CREATION
is BATTLING TO LAYMAN
Contends Universe Has Energy,
Matter, Time and Space as
Primary Elements.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
A vigorous protest against the mys-
terry cult of Einsteinism was sounded
today by Glenn H. Draper, assistant
astronomer of the United States Naval
Observatory, one of the three or four
men in Washington VINO really under
stand the EinStein theory.
At the same time he presented new
mathematical formula which he be-
leVeS overcomeS certain obvious short
comings of the Newtonian law of grav-
ity in explaining the structure and me-
chanicS of all creation without intro
ducing elements which transcend the
human senses.
The EinSteln theory sought to &C
compliSh this by introducing the con-
cept of a space of four or more dlmen-
siors, Draper said adding that this Is
a purely mathematical abstraction, OF
which, even if it exists in reality, hu-
man being never can have any actual
conception.
It has given rise, says Draper, ito
more mystery in the human mind than
the superstitions of barbarous ren-
gion, because crude mystery can De sat
isfactorily explained in terms OF human
behavior, whereas erudlte mystery
leaves many of us inartlcuiate.
Claims 3-Dimensional Explanation.
Everything can be explained, Draper
insists, without going outside the tnrte-
dimensional universe which Is actually
evident to man. whereas several natural
phenomena, in which the NeWtonlan
laws seem to fail, are not explained ov
EinStein.
But although Diapers mathematical
formulate involve no concepts winch ac-
tuallv transcend the human senSory
eolinment. they do demand the giving
I'm of various orthodox IDEAS IN SCIENCE
for which. he claims, there Is no oo-
iective evidence. One of these IS tnat
a star. like the sun. for countless MIL
lions of years pouring its own supsIanCe
into space in the form OF neat ana llst ~,
eventually will become cold ana greatly
reduced in size According to Draper 5
reasoning. it will remain forever APP
proyimatelv rs it is now. ~
BY stating the law of gravity, Draper
savs. Sir Isaac Newton apparently eH-
pIaincd to the satisfaction OF every one
but a few mathematical astronomers
the mechanics of the universe: puT tileae
was che flaw which Newton himself rec
ocnizod and could not overcome. Ihe
planetary system was held together, as
If by chains by a certain attractive
force inherent in matter which oper-
eted between two bodies, such as the
earth and the sun. with force dlrectly
proportional to their masses and IN
versely proportional to their distance
apart. -,...
this principle involved the inconcelvable
assI,mntior1 that this force acted in
simultaneously upon the bodies involved
in the gravitational pattern, regardless
of their distance apart. mus, the
force of gravity must come approx
mately 10000 600 miles from the sun TO
the earth in no time at all, although II
requires light, representing the 1astest
movement known in the universe, sew
eral minutes to make the journey.
Einstein attempted to solve this par
adox by DENYING the existence OF graV-
ity as a force inherent in bodies ana
explaining the apparent manifestations
of such force as the natural move
ments of masses in an lncomprehenSl-
BILE kind of space. Draper continues to
regard gravity as an actually. but with
a time element introduced which, he
claims, solves the whole difficulty.
Claims Four Primary Elements.
He lays down the premise that the
universe consists OF four primary ele-
ments which can be stated only in
terms of each other. The first is energy.
The second Is matter, "a special mani
festation of energy demonstrable to the
human senses" The others are time
and space, which, he says, can exist
only as measures between different
manifestations of energy. Space Is the
distance between masses. If there are
no masses, there can be no distance
between them and hence no space.
Time Is the interval between events.
If there are no events. there can be no
time. Consequently, since they can be
stated only in terms Of each other, they
can be only different forms of the same
thing.
One great difficulty with all theories
up to the present, according to Draper,
is that gravity, because of its peculiar
ity in appearing not to have time ele-
ment. has been left out of considera-
ton in explaining the relations of mat
ter and energy. Thus, it is recognized
that such forms of energy as light and
heat are transformations of matter.
For every bit of light and heat the sun
radiates into space it loses a bit of its
own matter" This light and heat
may be transformed into matter again
somewhere in the universe in a way not
yet understood. But if the sun is act
ing in this way it might be expected to
dissipate all its mass in the course of
countless billions of years. Yet this
does not seem to be taking place and
various theories have been advanced
to explain it,
BY considering gravity as any other
form of energy, says Draper, the diff
Guilty disappears. For energy, being a
form of the cosmic material of which
matter is another form. is interchange
able with matter. Gravity is flowing
into the sun" as light and heat are
flowing out. What the earth receives
of the latter it gives back in the form
of gravity.
Layman Baffied by Draper.
To the layman Diapers effort to re-
store the universe to sanity by intro
ducing a time element in the action of
gravity involves about as complicated
mathematics as relatively itself. for he
partially adopts from Einstein the con-
cept of the moving field of force, al
though with somewhat different
meaning.
Newton considered space as it appears
to ordinary observation, self-Sufficient
and independent. Masses like the earth
and the sun existed in space. Space
itself would exist whether they were
there or not. Time also he considered
as existing in itself. A certain amount
of time has elapsed since the earth be-
gan, but the same time would have
elapsed even If the earth had not be-
gun, only there would have been no
earthly creatures to observe its pas
sage.
Draper's formula considers space