Physicist Contributes Chapter to Oxford Handbook

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Daniel Kennefick, University of Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Daniel Kennefick, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Arkansas, discusses Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity in a chapter that will be included in a new history of modern physics.

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics, scheduled for publication in January 2014, includes the Kennefick-penned chapter, “Three and a Half Principles: The Origins of Modern Relativity.” It examines the self-evident nature of Einstein’s discovery of his special and general theories of relativity.

“Einstein put forward two principles underpinning each theory: the principles of relativity and the constancy of the speed of light for special relativity and the principle of equivalence and Ernst Mach’s principle for general relativity,” Kennefick said. “He came to abandon Mach’s principle in later years, hence it is the half-principle of the title of the chapter, useful as heuristic tool in finding the theory, but its status within the theory is unclear and even controversial.

“With the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s discovery of general relativity approaching, my article and the book as a whole will hopefully benefit from renewed interest in this theory and its discoverer,” he said.

The Oxford Handbooks series is designed to present a comprehensive overview of a given field’s current state of the academic art. Each volume invites leading scholars in their field to write a chapter describing the current state of knowledge and research in that area.

“The book is particularly interesting in addressing a topic of great interest to a general audience,” Kennefick said. “It covers the development of modern physics from the late 16th century to the early 20th century. No one scholar has had the breadth to cover the entirety of modern physics history in this depth and detail, but many of the contributors are famous names in this discipline who now have the chance to give an authoritative account of a particular episode in this story.”

The Oxford Handbook of the History of Physics is published by the Oxford University Press.