Ebenezer Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Cunningham
was a British
mathematician
who is remembered for his research and exposition at the dawn of special relativity
.
He went up to St John's College, Cambridge
in 1899 and graduated Senior Wrangler in 1902, winning the Smith's Prize
in 1904.
In 1904, as lecturer at University of Liverpool
, he began work on a new theorem in relativity
with fellow lecturer Harry Bateman
. They brought the methods of inversive geometry into electromagnetic theory with their transformations:
He worked with Karl Pearson
in 1907 at University College London
.
Cunningham married Ada Collins in 1908.
In August of 1911 he returned to St John's College where he made his career. When drafted for the war in 1915 he did alternative service growing food and in an office at the YMCA. He held a university lectureship from 1926 to 1946.
His book The Principle of Relativity (1914) was one of the first treatises in English about special relativity, along with those by Alfred Robb
and Ludwik Silberstein
. He followed with Relativity and the Electron Theory (1915) and Relativity, Electron Theory and Gravitation (1921). McCrea writes that Cunningham had doubts whether general relativity produced "physical results adequate return for mathematical elaboration."
He was an ardent pacifist, strongly religious, a member of Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Cambridge
and chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales for 1953-54.
was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who is remembered for his research and exposition at the dawn of special relativity
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
.
He went up to St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in 1899 and graduated Senior Wrangler in 1902, winning the Smith's Prize
Smith's Prize
The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
in 1904.
In 1904, as lecturer at University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
, he began work on a new theorem in relativity
Principle of relativity
In physics, the principle of relativity is the requirement that the equations describing the laws of physics have the same form in all admissible frames of reference....
with fellow lecturer Harry Bateman
Harry Bateman
Harry Bateman FRS was an English mathematician.-Life and work:Harry Bateman first grew to love mathematics at Manchester Grammar School, and in his final year, won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge. There he distinguished himself in 1903 as Senior Wrangler and by winning the Smith's Prize...
. They brought the methods of inversive geometry into electromagnetic theory with their transformations:
- Each four-dimensional solution [to Maxwell's equations] could then be inverted in a four-dimensional hypersphere of pseudo-radius K in order to produce a new solution. Central to Cunningham's paper was the demonstration that Maxwell's equations retained their form under these transformations.
He worked with Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson
Karl Pearson FRS was an influential English mathematician who has been credited for establishing the disciplineof mathematical statistics....
in 1907 at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Cunningham married Ada Collins in 1908.
In August of 1911 he returned to St John's College where he made his career. When drafted for the war in 1915 he did alternative service growing food and in an office at the YMCA. He held a university lectureship from 1926 to 1946.
His book The Principle of Relativity (1914) was one of the first treatises in English about special relativity, along with those by Alfred Robb
Alfred Robb
Alfred Arthur Robb or Alfred A. Robb FRS was a British physicist.Robb studied at Queen's College in Belfast and at St John’s College in Cambridge. He then proceeded to University of Göttingen, where guided by Woldemar Voigt, he wrote his dissertation on the Zeeman effect. He also worked under J. J...
and Ludwik Silberstein
Ludwik Silberstein
Ludwik Silberstein was a Polish-American physicist who helped make special relativity and general relativity staples of university coursework...
. He followed with Relativity and the Electron Theory (1915) and Relativity, Electron Theory and Gravitation (1921). McCrea writes that Cunningham had doubts whether general relativity produced "physical results adequate return for mathematical elaboration."
He was an ardent pacifist, strongly religious, a member of Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Cambridge
Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Cambridge
Emmanuel United Reformed Church in Cambridge, England is located close to the centre of town, on Trumpington Street. A congregational church, it voted to join the new United Reformed Church in 1972.-History:...
and chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales for 1953-54.