When Einstein announced his unified field theory 3½ years ago (TIME, Jan. 2, 1950), he asked his colleagues to check its validity. The theory attempted to connect the electromagnetic and the gravitational properties of the universe, which appear to follow separate sets of laws. To show that they are connected would complete the revolution in physics that began with the electromagnetic field theory of James Clerk Maxwell in the late 19th century. A single set of laws would be shown to rule and to unify the physical universe.
Hardly anyone accepted Einstein's challenge. More popular with physicists was a view derived from...
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