Fourth International Conference on the History of Physics

This conference is the fourth in the series following the first three, which were held at Trinity College, Cambridge UK in 2014, Pöllau, Austria in 2016 and San Sebastian, Spain in 2018. It will be the first to be formally overseen by an International Advisory Committee which is recognised by the Institute of Physics and the European Physical Society.*

The aim is to bring together physicists interested in the history of their subject and professional historians of science in the belief that proponents of the two disciplines, with their different perceptions and methodologies, can benefit from interaction and discourse.

Student attendance and participation will be encouraged in the firm belief that a study of the history of the subject can inspire future generations by informing them about the lives and work of great scientists, and also facilitate a better understanding of topics that present conceptual problems today just as they did to their discoverers.

Inspired by the recent centenary of two major landmarks in modern physics - nomination of the proton as a fundamental nuclear particle and discovery of the bending of light in a gravitational field - the leading theme of the present conference will be:

On the Road to Modern Physics

Presentations on the history of particle physics, general relativity, cosmology and astrophysics will be particularly welcome. However, papers on any topic related to physics history will be considered for inclusion.

We are very fortunate in having the conference venue at Trinity College Dublin. Many significant figures in the history of physics have been associated with Trinity. Richard Helsham wrote the first undergraduate textbook, published in 1739, on Newton’s natural philosophy: for an account of those who followed, Eric Finch’s “Three Centuries of Physics at Trinity College Dublin” is to be recommended.