Einstein's attitude towards experiments : testing relativity theory 1907 - 1927

Abstract

Contrary to the widespread Einstein legend, it is demonstrated that in many cases he was extremely curious about certain experimental results and that he could hardly wait for the moment when tests which he had suggested were actually done by skilled observers. I will show that this was the case whenever these empirically testable effects were closely linked to his newly proposed fundamental principles which still lacked empirical support, focussing on the examples of gravitational redshift (linked to the equivalence principle between gravitational and acceleration fields), of light deflection (linked to mass-energy equivalency and the curvature of space-time), and of interferometric experiments (linked to the two axioms of the special theory of relativity).