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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 6: Physicists as Popularisators

GP 6.3: Talk

Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 16:55–17:15, GP-H7

Spacetime as popularised by Arthur S. Eddington — •Florian Laguens — IPC-Facultés Libres, 70 avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris, France

Arthur S. Eddington (1882-1944) certainly was the world's most famous astronomer during the interwar period. For thirty years he was the director of Cambridge Observatory and a Fellow of Trinity College. He also plunged into philosophy while discovering Einstein*s general relativity in 1916. From then on, he developed some personal thoughts about physics, its methods and its limits. Along with widely acclaimed scientific treatises, Eddington published some controversial books such as The Nature of the Physical World (1928), Relativity Theory of Protons and Electrons (1936) and The Philosophy of Physical Science (1939). In particular, The Nature of the Physical World is still considered a masterpiece regarding the popularisation of general relativity theory and quantum mechanics. Indeed, spacetime is discussed at length in several chapters. This paper intends to highlight, thanks to key passages of Eddington's works, his very conception of popularisation. It then allows to exemplify its role in helping both students and colleagues coping with the relativity major conceptual changes. Finally, Eddington's attitude towards popularisation reveals is way of considering the relationship between physics and mathematics. All in all, as he replies to some critics, his aim is to "convey exact thought in inexact language" (New Pathways in Science, 1935).