On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies

Before you start

Assumes

Maxwell's equations and ordinary algebra — famously no tensors, which is why it is still readable

FreeAdvanced31 pageslink checked 17 Sept 2026

What it overturned

The consensus this work replaced. Both sides are catalogued, because how a field changed its mind is part of the subject.

• Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia MathematicaIsaac Newton, 1687Derives the motion of falling bodies, projectiles and orbiting planets alike from three laws of motion and one law of gravitation.

Groundwork for

Works in the library that name this one as a prerequisite.

• The Foundation of the General Theory of RelativityAlbert Einstein, 1916Replaces the flat, fixed spacetime of special relativity with a curved spacetime whose geometry is itself shaped by matter and energy.