vector minus axial vector theory

physics

Also known as: V-A theory

Learn about this topic in these articles:

electroweak theory

In subatomic particle: Early theories
…is known as V−A, or vector minus axial vector, theory. This theory proved highly successful experimentally, at least at the relatively low energies accessible to particle physicists in the 1960s. It was clear that the theory had the correct kind of mathematical structure to account for parity violation and related…
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special relativity

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special relativity

physics

Also known as: special theory

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 7, 2025 • Article History

Key People:: Albert Einstein; Arthur Eddington; Tomonaga Shin’ichirō

Related Topics:: relativity; quantum field theory; E = mc2; Einstein’s mass-energy relation

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special relativity, part of the wide-ranging physical theory of relativity formed by the German-born physicist Albert Einstein. It was conceived by Einstein in 1905. Along with quantum mechanics, relativity is central to modern physics.

Special relativity is limited to objects that are moving with respect to inertial frames of reference—i.e., in a state of uniform motion with respect to one another such that one cannot, by purely mechanical experiments, distinguish one from the other. Beginning with the behaviour of light (and all other electromagnetic radiation), the theory of special relativity draws conclusions that are contrary to everyday experience but fully confirmed by experiments that examine subatomic particles at high speeds or measure small changes between clocks traveling at different speeds. Special relativity revealed that the speed of light is a limit that can be approached but not reached by any material object. It is the origin of the most famous equation in science, E = mc², which expresses the fact that mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other. (For a more-detailed treatment of special relativity, see relativity: Special relativity.)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Barbara A. Schreiber.