The Discovery That the Universe Is Expanding: Developments in
Theoretical and Observational Cosmology, 1915-1930
Author: David Ford
Date: 21 Aug 1998 version 102 Words in full essay: 7,000

Below: Outline, Introduction, and link to full essay

Outline:
I. Introduction
II. Relativity
III. Einstein's Solution
IV. De Sitter's Solution
V. Friedmann's Solutions
VI. Lemaitre's Solutions
VII. Constant Abandoned
VIII. Slipher
IX. Scientific Background to Hubble
X. Hubble Seeks and Finds a D-V Relation
XI. Calculations Involving the Hubble Law
XII. General Comments on Universe's Expansion
XIII. Conclusion
XIV. Key to Notes

I. INTRODUCTION

The years 1915 to 1930 were exciting times in cosmology. During those
years, German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein's general theory of
relativity was published and seen to describe the universe's behavior as
changing over time. Because he believed in the reigning view of the
universe as being infinitely old and static, i.e., neither expanding nor
contracting and not changing in appearance over time,[h295] Einstein
refused to accept the implications of his equations and altered them so
that his model of the universe was static. Other theoretical physicists,
writing in 1917, 1922, 1924, and 1927, strongly suggested on the basis of
the relativity equations that the universe was indeed expanding.
Familiarity with one expanding solution to the equations prompted American
astronomer Edwin Hubble to investigate the nature of the universe, and in
1929, Hubble published work demonstrating that galaxies were traveling
away from each other. The scientific community was forced to relinquish
the idea of a static, infinitely old universe, as lines of evidence from
both theoretical and observational astronomy converged to say that the
universe is expanding.

remainder of essay:
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