Page "David Hilbert" Paragraph 57

By 1907 Einstein had framed the fundamentals of the theory of gravity, but then struggled for nearly 8 years with a confounding problem of putting the theory into final form.

By early summer 1915, Hilbert's interest in physics had focused on general relativity, and he invited Einstein to Göttingen to deliver a week of lectures on the subject.

Einstein received an enthusiastic reception at Göttingen.

Over the summer Einstein learned that Hilbert was also working on the field equations and redoubled his own efforts.

During November 1915 Einstein published several papers culminating in " The Field Equations of Gravitation " ( see Einstein field equations ).

Nearly simultaneously David Hilbert published " The Foundations of Physics ", an axiomatic derivation of the field equations ( see Einstein – Hilbert action ).

Hilbert fully credited Einstein as the originator of the theory, and no public priority dispute concerning the field equations ever arose between the two men during their lives.

See more at priority.