Alfred Robb

Alfred Arthur Robb or Alfred A. Robb (January 18 1873 – December 14 1936) [http://www.authorandbookinfo.com/ngcoba/ro1.htm] was an English physicist.

Robb studied under J. J. Thomson at the Cavendish Laboratory (University of Cambridge). In 1921 he became a fellow of the Royal Society. [Cite book|last=Sanchez-Ron|first=José M.|year=1987|chapter=The reception of special relativity in Great Britain|editor=T. F. Glick|title=The Comparative Reception of Relativity|pages=27-58|location=Berlin|publisher=Springer|isbn=9027724989]

He is known for his works on special relativity, whereby he tried (1911, 1914) to derive the complete spacetime formalism of the theory in a axiomatic-geometric way. Robb therefore was sometimes called the "Euclid of relativity". However, contrary to the scientific mainstream, he believed that the works of Joseph Larmor and Hendrik Lorentz were more important for relativity than the works of Albert Einstein and Hermann Minkowski. [Sanchez-Ron, pp. 46-49] By using non-Euclidean geometry, Robb also introduced the concept of rapidity as a formal alternative to the relativistic Velocity-addition formula. [Cite book|last=Walter|first=Scott|year=1999b|editor=J. Gray|chapter=The non-Euclidean style of Minkowskian relativity|title=The Symbolic Universe: Geometry and Physics|pages=91–127|location=Oxford|publisher=University Press|chapterurl=http://www.univ-nancy2.fr/DepPhilo/walter/|isbn=0198500882]

References

Publications

*Cite book|last=Robb|first=Alfred|year=1911|title=Optical geometry of motion, a new view of the theory of relativity|location=Cambridge|publisher=Heffner & Sons|url=http://www.archive.org/details/opticalgeometryo00robbrich
*Cite book|last=Robb|first=Alfred|year=1914|title=A theory of time and space|location=Cambridge|publisher=University Press|url=http://www.archive.org/details/theoryoftimespac00robbrich
*Cite book|last=Robb|first=Alfred|year=1921|title=The absolute relations of time and space|location=Cambridge|publisher=University Press|url=http://www.archive.org/details/absoluterelation00robbiala
*Cite book|last=Robb|first=Alfred|year=1936|title=Geometry Of Time And Space|location=Cambridge|publisher=University Press|url=http://www.archive.org/details/geometryoftimean032218mbp

ee also

*History of special relativity