Foundations

by Greg Egan

Foundations is a series of articles, first published in the magazine Eidolon, on some of the theories of twentieth-century physics that have most influenced modern science fiction. However, these are not essays on the history or philosophy of science; their aim is to show how the central idea of each theory leads to detailed, quantitative predictions of real physical effects. For example, the article on special relativity derives formulas for time dilation, Doppler shift, and aberration.

These articles are for the interested lay reader. No prior knowledge of mathematics beyond high school algebra and geometry is needed.

Articles online

Foundations / created Thursday, 4 December 1997 / revised Saturday, 22 July 2000