# Bibliography of E. T. Whittaker

Sir Edmund Taylor Whittaker was a British mathematician, physicist, historian of science, and philosopher who authored three titles that remain in circulation over a century after their initial publications. His bibliography includes several books and over one hundred published papers on a variety of subjects, including mathematics, astronomy, mathematical physics, theoretical physics, philosophy, and theism. Whittaker's bibliography in the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society categorises his publications into three categories: books and monographs, maths and physics articles, and biographical articles; the bibliography excludes works published in popular magazines like Scientific American. The bibliography includes eleven total books and monographs, fifty-six maths and physics articles, thirty-five philosophy and history articles, and twenty-one biographical articles. In the bibliography compiled by William Hunter McCrea in 1957, there are thirteen books and monographs and the same journal articles; McCrea counts all three volumes of A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity as separate books and excludes the same papers. Whittaker's contributions to Scientific American include two book reviews and a popular article on mathematics.
John Lighton Synge reviewed ten of Whittaker's papers when he wrote about Whittaker's contributions to electromagnetism and general relativity. Among other tributes as part of the same memorial volume of the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, George Frederick James Temple wrote about Whittaker's work on harmonic functions, and Alexander Aitken wrote about Whittaker's work on algebra and numerical analysis. Whittaker also published several biographical articles, including one for Albert Einstein written just a few months before his death.

## Books

Whittaker wrote three scientific treatises that were highly influential in their fields, A Course of Modern Analysis, Analytical Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies, and The Calculus of Observations. In 1956, Gerald James Whitrow stated that two of these books, Modern Analysis and Analytical Dynamics, were not only required reading for British mathematicians but were regarded as fundamental components of their personal libraries. Despite the success of these textbooks, the second edition of A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity has been called Whittaker's magnum opus. Due to the title's popularity, William Hunter McCrea predicted that future readers would have a hard time acknowledging it was the result of just "a few years at both ends of a career of the highest distinction in other pursuits." Whittaker also wrote The theory of optical instruments during his time as Royal Astronomer of Ireland and wrote several other books on various subjects throughout his career.

### Whittaker & Watson

Whittaker was the original author of the textbook A Course of Modern Analysis, first published in 1902. The book was reviewed by George Ballard Mathews, Arthur Stafford Hathaway, and Maxime Bôcher, among others. The book's later editions were written in collaboration with Whittaker's former student George Neville Watson, resulting in the textbook taking the famous colloquial name Whittaker & Watson, published in 1915, 1920, and 1927. Reviewers of the book's later editions include Philip Jourdain, Eric Harold Neville, and Dorothy Maud Wrinch. The book is subtitled an introduction to the general theory of infinite processes and of analytic functions; with an account of the principal transcendental functions and is a classic textbook in mathematical analysis.

### Analytical Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies

Whittaker's second major work, A Treatise on the Analytical Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies, was first published in 1904 and quickly became a classic textbook in its subject. The book went through four editions, published in 1917, 1927, and 1937. It has remained in circulation for over a hundred years. The book represented the forefront of development at the time of publication; many reviewers noted it contained material otherwise non-existent in the English language. The book has received acclaim from sources other than book reviews as well, including physicist Victor Lenzen, who said in 1952 that the book was "still the best exposition of the subject on the highest possible level". One hundred and ten years after its initial publication, a 2014 "biography" of the book's development noted that the book remained influential as more than a "historical document".

### A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity, From the Age of Descartes to the Close of the Nineteenth Century

Whittaker's third major work, A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity, From the Age of Descartes to the Close of the Nineteenth Century, was published in 1910. The book gives a detailed account of the history of electromagnetism and aether theories from René Descartes to Hendrik Lorentz and Albert Einstein, including the contributions of Hermann Minkowski and a chapter each devoted to Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell. The book was well received and is an authoritative reference work in the history of physics; the title established Whittaker as a respected historian of science. Pending the release of a second edition, the book remained out of print for many years, though it is now free to be reprinted in the United States, as it qualifies as public domain. Dover Publications released a reprint of the book in 1989. Along with several others, Edwin Bidwell Wilson reviewed the treatise in 1913.

### The Calculus of Observations or A Short Course in Interpolation

Whittaker's fourth major work, The Calculus of Observations a Treatise on Numerical Analysis, coauthored with George Robinson, was a pioneering textbook in numerical analysis that was originally published in 1923 and provides an introduction to methods of practical computation. The first four chapters, on interpolation, were published separately under A Short Course in Interpolation, in 1924. The book went through four total editions, with the fourth in 1944. The book received positive reviews upon its initial release. It was reviewed by William Fleetwood Sheppard, Lewis Fry Richardson, and Jack Howlett, among others. Several of the book's reviewers found that it was advanced and intended mostly for mathematicians. Some reviewers also noted that the book was the first to be devoted fully to the subject in the English language. Forty-three years after its initial publication, Jack Howlett reviewed a reprint of the fourth edition by Dover Publications in 1969 in a comparison of the book with two newer works. He wrote that "one can hardly call it a modern book" and noted that the book had changed relatively little since its original print in 1924 and from the lectures that Whittaker delivered at the Edinburgh Mathematical Laboratory between 1913 and 1923. He went on to remark that there are only a few useful chapters in the book concerning the calculus of finite differences and its applications, including interpolation and difference formulae, but that the rest of the book seemed "completely outmoded".

### Philosophy of Arthur Eddington

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, one of Whittaker's former students, held philosophical views similar to Whittaker's. At the end of his career, Whittaker was influenced by the philosophical ideas Eddington had advocated for and, in addition to editing the latter's Fundamental Theory, he published several articles and books exploring the topic. Whittaker's presentation at the 1947 Tarner Lecture was published as From Euclid to Eddington by the Cambridge University Press and his other book on the topic, Eddington's principle in the philosophy of science, was published two years later.

#### Fundamental Theory

Whittaker edited Arthur Eddington's Fundamental Theory, which was published posthumously in 1946 by the Cambridge University Press. Eddington died in November 1944 and Whittaker was given the task of editing and publishing the book, which was nearly complete. The book received several reviews and responses, including a review by William Hunter McCrea and Clive W. Kilmister. Kilmister later wrote a book on the topic, titled Eddington's search for a fundamental theory, which was published by Cambridge University Press in 1994, and was itself reviewed by David Kaiser, among others.

#### From Euclid to Eddington : A study of the conceptions of the external world

Whittaker's philosophy book From Euclid to Eddington : A study of the conceptions of the external world was published in 1949 by the Cambridge University Press. The book is a published lecture originating from the 1947 Tarner Lecture at Trinity College, Cambridge. The volume recounts the history of the theories of natural philosophy beginning with Euclid and stretching to Eddington, including the philosophical ideas of Plato, Aristotle, and Einstein. The original edition of the book received reviews from Peter Bergmann, Edward Arthur Milne, and Israel Monroe Levitt. A 1960 reprint of the book by Dover Publications has also received reviews.

#### Eddington's principle in the philosophy of science

Whittaker spoke at the annual Arthur Stanley Eddington Memorial Lecture in 1952, which was subsequently published by American Scientist and Cambridge University Press. In the book's preface, Whittaker articulates Eddington's principle as "all the quantitative propositions of physics… may be deduced by logical reasoning from qualitative assertions". One reviewer noted some caveats to the interpretation and stated that Eddington would not necessarily have been satisfied with this wording. The work expounded on the principle, traced its development to Gottfried Leibniz, discussed its mathematical basis, and addresses potential objections. Whittaker also describes Eddington's views on universal constants. and discusses their connection to the philosophy of religion. William Hunter McCrea and Thomas Cowling reviewed the work in 1952.

### A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity extended and revised edition

Whittaker published an extended and revised edition of his Theories of Aether in two volumes, with volume one in 1951 and the second in 1953. Notwithstanding a notorious controversy on Whitaker's views on the history of special relativity, covered in volume two of the second edition, the books are considered authoritative references on the history of classical electromagnetism as well as classic books in the history of physics. The first volume, subtitled the classical theories, serves as a revised and updated edition of the original 1910 book. Among others, Arthur Mannering Tyndall, Carl Eckart, Victor Lenzen, William Hunter McCrea, Julius Sumner Miller, John Lighton Synge, and Stephen Toulmin reviewed the book. The second volume extended this work covering the years 1900 to 1926, including the early development of special relativity, general relativity, old quantum theory, and quantum mechanics. Among others, Max Born, Freeman Dyson, Rolf Hagedorn, and Percy Williams Bridgman reviewed the book. Whittaker's role in the relativity priority dispute centres on chapter two of the second volume, where he claims that Lorentz and Poincare had developed the theory of relativity before Einstein. Due to the controversy this sparked, the second volume is cited far less than the first volume and first edition, except in connection with the priority dispute.

### Other books and monographs

| Title | Subject | Year | Publication | Identifier | Notes |
| Report on the progress of the solution of the problem of three bodies | Physics—three-body problem | 1899 | British Association for the Advancement of Science | | Became the core of Whittaker's 1902 A Treatise on the Analytical Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies. |
| The Theory of Optical Instruments Cambridge Tracts in Mathematics, No. 7 | Physics—optics | 1907 | Cambridge University Press | OCLC 976959487 | Published review |
| Prinzipien der Störungstheorie und allgemeine Theorie der Bahnkurven in dynamischen Problemen [Principles of perturbation theory and general theory of trajectories in dynamic problem] | Mathematics | 1912 | Klein's Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences | | In German |
| Introduction to a reprint of Isaac Newton's Opticks | History | 1931 | Bell and Sons | OCLC 1164453 | Foreword written by Albert Einstein |
| The Beginning and End of the World Delivered before the University of Durham at King's college, Newcastle upon Tyne in February 1942 Riddell Memorial Lecture of 1942 | Theology | 1943 | Oxford University Press | OCLC 702585376 | Published reviews |
| Space and Spirit: Theories of the Universe and the Arguments for the Existence of God | Theology | 1946 | Thomas Nelson | ISBN 978-1-258-91699-2 | Published reviews |
| The modern approach to Descartes' problem; the relation of the mathematical and physical sciences to philosophy | Philosophy—philosophy of science | 1948 | Thomas Nelson | OCLC 4732609 | Published reviews |

## Articles

Whittaker wrote many maths, physics, and astronomy articles over his career in addition to many others in subjects like history, philosophy, and theism. He also wrote several popular articles in magazines such as Scientific American as well as several book reviews. Whittaker wrote over twenty biographical articles and obituaries throughout his life, including one for Albert Einstein just a few months before his own death. John Lighton Synge reviewed ten of Whittaker's papers when he wrote about Whittaker's contributions to electromagnetism and general relativity. Among other tributes as part of the same memorial volume of the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, George Frederick James Temple wrote about Whittaker's work on harmonic functions, and Alexander Aitken wrote about his work on algebra and numerical analysis.

### Maths and science

| Title | Date | Publication | Identifier | Topic and notes |
| "On Lagrange's parentheses in the planetary theory" | 1897 | Messenger of Math | Messenger of Mathematics, p. 141, at Google Books | Dynamics. Uses Lagrange brackets to obtain equations of the orbital motions of planets. |
| "On the connexion of algebraic functions with automorphic functions" | January 1898 | Proc. R. Soc. Lond. | doi:10.1098/rspl.1898.0033 | Automorphic functions. Reviewed by Robert Alexander Rankin in 1958. |
| "On the reductions of the order of the differential equations of a dynamical system, by use of the integral of energy" | 1900 | Messenger of Math. | Messenger of Mathematics, p. 93, at Google Books | Dynamics. Presents a general process of reducing the order of the differential equations of dynamical systems. |
| "On periodic orbits" | January 1902 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/62.3.186 | Dynamics. Presented a new method for detecting periodic orbits. |
| "On the solution of dynamical problems in terms of trigonometric series" | 1902 | Proc. London Math. Soc. | Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, p. 206, at Google Books | Hamiltonian dynamics. Presents of transformation method for solving a set of Hamiltonians in terms of trigonometric series. |
| "On periodic orbits in the restricted problem of three bodies" | 1902 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/62.5.346a | Dynamics; three-body problem |
| "Note on a function analogous to Weierstrass' Sigma-function" | 1902 | Messenger of Math. | Messenger of Mathematics, p. 145, at Google Books | Automorphic functions. Reviewed by Robert Alexander Rankin in 1958. |
| "On the General Solution of Laplace's Equation and the Equation of Wave Motions, and on an undulatory explanation of Gravity" | July 1902 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/62.9.617 | Special functions of mathematical physics Integral representations of harmonic functions. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1958. Note on a general solution of Laplace's equation. |
| "On a new connexion of Bessel Functions with Legendre Functions" | May 1903 | Proc. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/plms/s1-35.1.198 | Mathematical analysis. Presents an integral expression for Bessel functions involving Legendre functions. |
| "On the functions associated with the parabolic cylinder in harmonic analysis" | May 1902 | Proc. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/plms/s1-35.1.417 | Special functions of mathematical physics. |
| "An expression of certain known functions as generalized hypergeometric functions" | 1903 | Bull. Am. Math. Soc. | doi:10.1090/S0002-9904-1903-01077-5 | Special functions of mathematical physics. Presented 31 August 1903 to the American Mathematical Society. |
| "On the partial differential equations of mathematical physics" | September 1903 | Mathematische Annalen | doi:10.1007/BF01444290 | Special functions of mathematical physics. Integral representations of harmonic functions. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1958. Gave a general solution of Laplace's equation. |
| "On an Expression of the Electromagnetic Field due to Electrons by Means of Two Scalar Potential Functions" | January 1904 | Proc. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/plms/s2-1.1.367 | Electromagnetism. His first paper over theoretical physics (aside from dynamics) |
| "On the distribution of energy in the continuous spectrum" | November 1906 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/67.1.85 | Theory of radiation. |
| "On the resolving power of spectroscopes" | November 1906 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/67.1.88 | Astronomy |
| "On the theory of capillarity" | July 1908 | Proc. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rspa.1908.0060 | Physics, capillary action. |
| "Sunspots and solar temperature" | 1908 | The Observatory | Bibcode:1908Obs....31..372W | Astronomy |
| "On the variable RW. Cassiopeiæ" Co-authored with C. Martin | April 1911 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/71.6.511 | Observational astronomy |
| "On the dynamical nature of the molecular vibrators which emit spectra of the banded type" | June 1911 | Proc. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rspa.1911.0038 | Theory of radiation Dynamics |
| "On the law which governs the variations of SS Cygni" | June 1911 | Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. | doi:10.1093/mnras/71.8.686 | Observational astronomy |
| "On the functions associated with the elliptic cylinder in harmonic analysis" | 1912 | Proc V Internat. Congr. Math. | Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress of Mathematicians at the Internet Archive | Special functions of mathematical physics. Integral representations of harmonic functions. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1958. |
| "On the general solution of Mathieu's equation" | February 1913 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500035069 | Special functions of mathematical physics. Integral representations of harmonic functions. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1958. |
| "On the continued fractions which represent the functions of Hermite and other functions defined by differential equations" | February 1913 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500035057 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On an integral-equation whose solutions are the functions of Lamé" | 1914 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600017697 | Special functions of mathematical physics. |
| "On Lamé's differential equation, and ellipsoidal harmonics" | 1914 | Proc. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/plms/s2_14.1.260 | Special functions of mathematical physics. |
| "On a class of Differential Equations whose solutions satisfy Integral Equations" | February 1914 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500002297 | Special functions of mathematical physics. Integral representations of harmonic functions. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1958. |
| "On the functions represented by the expansions of the interpolation theory" | 1915 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600017806 | Interpolation theory. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1956. |
| "A simple monogram for the solution of quadratic equations" | December 1915 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S1757748900001523 | Algebra. Paper reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1956. |
| "On the theory of continued fractions" | 1916 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600018277 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On the Latent Roots of Compound Determinants and Brill's Determinants" | February 1916 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/s0013091500029631 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On the adelphic integral of the differential equations of dynamics" | 1917 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S037016460002352X | Dynamics. Paper reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1956. |
| "A Formula for the Solution of Algebraic or Transcendental Equations" | February 1917 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500035288 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On Determinants whose elements are Determinants" | February 1917 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S001309150003529X | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On the numerical solution of integral-equations" | June 1918 | Proc. R. Soc. Lond. | doi:10.1098/rspa.1918.0024 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On some disputed questions of probability" | 1919 | Trans. Fac. Actuaries | doi:10.1017/S0071368600004389 | Mathematics and probability theory. Read 9 February 1920 before the Faculty of Actuaries. |
| "On tubes of electromagnetic force" | 1921 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600023798 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On Sylvester's Dialytic Method of Elimination" | February 1921 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500036026 | Algebra |
| "On the quantum mechanism in the atom" | 1922 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600023889 | Quantum mechanics. The paper received a response from R. A. Houstoun. |
| "On a New Method of Graduation" | February 1922 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500077853 | Algebra and numerical analysis. There was correspondence between Whittaker and George James Lidstone on the paper. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1956 and by Alexander Aitken in 1958 |
| "On the theory of graduation" | 1924 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600020800 | Algebra and numerical analysis. Reviewed by George Frederick James Temple in 1956 and by Alexander Aitken in 1958. |
| "On the adjustment of Sir J. J. Thomson's theory of light to the classical electromagnetic theory" | 1926 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600021945 | Theory of radiation and Quantum mechanics. |
| "On a simple light-quantum" | November 1926 | Phil. Mag. | doi:10.1080/14786442608564145 | Theory of radiation and Quantum mechanics. |
| "On Hilbert's world-function" | January 1927 | Proc. Royal Soc. A | doi:10.1098/rspa.1927.0003 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On electric phenomena in a gravitational field" | November 1927 | Proc. Royal Soc. A | doi:10.1098/rspa.1927.0160 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "Note on the law that light-rays are the null geodesics of a gravitational field" | January 1928 | Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0305004100011816 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "The Influence of Gravitation on Electromagnetic Phenomena" | June 1928 | Nature | doi:10.1038/1211022a0 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On the potential of electromagnetic phenomena in a gravitational field" | August 1928 | Proc. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rspa.1928.0130 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On the recurrence-formulae for Mathieu functions" | April 1929 | J. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-4.14.88 | Special functions of mathematical physics. |
| "On Hyper-lemniscate Functions, a Family of Automorphic Functions" | October 1929 | J. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-4.4.274 | Automorphic functions. Reviewed by Robert Alexander Rankin in 1958. |
| "On the Solution of Differential Equations by Definite Integrals" | June 1931 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500007768 | Special functions of mathematical physics. Algebraic analysis. The published form of a "research lecture" at Edinburgh proposing a theorem on the transformation of definite integrals. Inspired subsequent work by William Ogilvy Kermack and William Hunter McCrea |
| "On the definition of distance in curved space, and the displacement of spectral lines of distant sources" | September 1931 | Proc. Royal Soc. A | doi:10.1098/rspa.1931.0132 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On properties of null geodesics and their application to the theory of radiation" Co-authored with William Ogilvy Kermack and William Hunter McCrea | 1933 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600015479 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On Gauss' theorem and the concept of mass in general relativity" | April 1935 | Proc. Royal Soc. A | doi:10.1098/rspa.1935.0069 | Electromagnetism and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On the relations of the tensor-calculus to the spinor-calculus" | January 1937 | Proc. Royal Soc. A | doi:10.1098/rspa.1937.0003 | Quantum mechanics, Electromagnetism, and the theory of relativity. Reviewed by John Lighton Synge in 1958. |
| "On Hamilton's principal function quantum mechanics" | 1941 | Proc. Royal-Soc. Edinburgh A | doi:10.1017/S0080454100006026 | Quantum mechanics. |
| "On the reversion of series" | 1950 | Gaz. Mat. Lisboa | | Mathematical analysis. Development of power series of the inverse of analytic functions near simple zeros. |

### Philosophy and history

| Title | Date | Publication | Identifier | Topic and Notes |
| "Newton's work on optics" | 1927 | The Mathematical Association | The Mathematical Association, p. 70, at Google Books | History of physics |
| "The Outstanding Problems of Relativity" | September 1927 | Science Magazine | doi:10.1126/science.66.1706.223 | Philosophy |
| "The Outstanding Problems of Relativity" | September 1927 | Nature | doi:10.1038/120368a0 | Philosophy |
| "Eddington on the Nature of the World" | January 1929 | Nature | doi:10.1038/123004a0 | Philosophy |
| "What Is Energy?" | April 1929 | The Mathematical Gazette | doi:10.2307/3606954 | Philosophy |
| "Parallelism and teleparallelism in the newer theories of space" | January 1930 | J. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-5.1.68 | Philosophy |
| "Bishop Barnes and the mathematical theorists" | 1933 | Dublin Review | | |
| "The new background: man and the universe" | 1935 | | | Philosophy. Originally published in (1934–1935) Year–book of the Univ. Catholic Societies Federation of Great Britain, 25–33 |
| "The relativity theory of protons and electrons" | 1937 | The Observatory | The Observatory, p. 14, at Google Books | |
| "A chapter on religion" | 1937 | The Student | | Theology |
| "The physical universe" | 1940 | Religion and Science | | Theology |
| "The Hamiltonian revival" | 1940 | Math. Gaz. | doi:10.2307/3605704 | There is published correspondence between Whittaker and Edward Arthur Milne over the paper. |
| "Some disputed questions in the philosophy of the physical sciences" | May 1942 | Phil. Mag. | doi:10.1080/14786444208520810 | Philosophy—Edington's Principle. Published form of the annual address of the President to the Royal Society of Edinburgh 27 October 1941. |
| "Aristotle, Newton, Einstein" | September 1943 | Science Magazine | doi:10.1126/science.98.2542.249 | Part one of two. Published form of the annual address of the President to the Royal Society of Edinburgh 26 October 1942. The lecture was reviewed by C. D. Hardie Spring 1943. |
| "Aristotle, Newton, Einstein II" | September 1943 | Science Magazine | doi:10.1126/science.98.2543.267 | Part two of two. Published form of the annual address of the President to the Royal Society of Edinburgh 26 October 1942. The lecture was reviewed by C. D. Hardie Spring 1943. |
| "The aether: past and present" | 1943 | Endeavour | | History of the aether |
| "The earth, and the sun, from Copernicus to Galileo" | 1943 | Prisoners of War News (British Red Cross Society) | | History of Solar System models |
| "Chance, freewill and necessity, in the scientific conception of the universe" | 1943 | Proc. Phys. Soc. | doi:10.1088/0959-5309/55/6/303 | Determinism and free will. Presented at the Twenty-seventh Guthrie Lecture on 18 May 1943. There was published correspondence over the theme of the work and a comparison to another lecture. |
| "The new physics and metaphysical materialism" | 1943 | Proc. Arist. Soc. | JSTOR 4544379 | Philosophy. Published Symposium, other speakers were Susan Stebbing, J. H. Jeans, and R. B. Braithwaite |
| "The new algebras, and their significance for physics and philosophy" | December 1943 | Phil. Mag. | doi:10.1080/14786444408520865 | Reviewed by Alonzo Church in June 1944. |
| "Old and new ideas of gravitation" | 1944 | Endeavour | | History of physics |
| "The new physics and the philosophy of Catholics" | 1944 | The Month | | Theology |
| "Spin in the universe" | 1945 | Royal Society of Edinburgh | | Philosophy. Originally published in the 1945 Year Book of the Royal Society of Edinburgh pages 5–13 The publication was the result of the annual presidential address to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, where Whittaker discussed the "spin of the universe" on 23 October 1944. The work was reviewed in Nature in May of the next year |
| "The sequence of ideas in the discovery of quaternions" | 1945 | Proc. Royal Irish Acad. | JSTOR 20520633 | History of physics and mathematics |
| "Eddington's theory of thee constants of nature" | October 1945 | The Mathematical Gazette | doi:10.2307/3609461 | Philosophy |
| "The mind behind material nature" | 1946 | The Listener | | Philosophy and theism Made the front cover of the weekly BBC magazine The Listener. |
| "Whitehead's Collected Essays" | September 1947 | Nature | doi:10.1038/160415a0 | Collected papers of Alfred North Whitehead. |
| "The concept of nature, from Copernicus to Newton" | 1946 | Advanced Science | | History of philosophy |

### Biographical

| For | Date | Publication | DOI |
| Knott, Cargill Gilston | 1924 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600022628 |
| Low, George Macritchie | 1924 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600022732 |
| Ball, W. W. Rouse | October 1925 | The Mathematical Gazette | doi:10.1017/S0025557200247207 |
| Heaviside, Oliver | 1930 | Bull. Calc. Math. Soc. | |
| Painlevé, Paul | January 1935 | J. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-10.37.70 |
| Macdonald, Hector Munro | June 1935 | Nature | doi:10.1038/135945a0 |
| Macdonald, Hector Munro | December 1935 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1935.0018 |
| Horsburgh, Ellice Martin | April 1936 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0013091500027577 |
| Dixon, Alfred Cardew | December 1936 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1936.0014 |
| Thomson, Joseph John | 1940 | Proc. Royal Soc. Edinburgh | doi:10.1017/S0370164600020526 |
| Sampson, Ralph Allen | January 1940 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1940.0019 |
| Ince, Edward Lindsay | April 1941 | J. London Math. Soc. | doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-16.2.139 |
| Volterra, Vito | December 1941 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1941.0029 |
| Forsyth, Andrew Russell | November 1942 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1942.0017 |
| Birkhoff, George David | December 1944 | Nature | doi:10.1038/154791a0 |
| Plummer, Henry Crozier | December 1946 | The Observatory | |
| Whitehead, Alfred North | February 1948 | Nature | doi:10.1038/161267a0 |
| Whitehead, Alfred North | November 1948 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1948.0031 |
| Laplace, Pierre-Simon | February 1949 | The Mathematical Gazette | doi:10.2307/3608408 |
| Laplace, Pierre-Simon | June 1949 | American Math. Monthly | doi:10.1080/00029890.1949.11999400 |
| Cowell, Philip Herbert | November 1949 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1949.0003 |
| Conway, Arthur William | September 1950 | Nature | doi:10.1038/166459a0 |
| Birkhoff, George David (Collected Papers) | February 1951 | Nature | doi:10.1038/167250a0 |
| Conway, Arthur William | November 1951 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1951.0004 |
| Thomson, William Leslie | January 1952 | Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. | doi:10.1017/S0950184300003037 |
| Whitehead, Alfred North (Anthology) | June 1954 | Nature | doi:10.1038/1731058a0 |
| Barnes, Ernest William | November 1954 | Obit. Not. Royal Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1954.0002 |
| Einstein, Albert | November 1955 | Biogr. Mem. Fellows R. Soc. | doi:10.1098/rsbm.1955.0005 |

### Book reviews

| Book | Author | Identifier | Review date | Review publication | Review doi |
| Partial Differential Equations of Mathematical Physics | Bateman, Harry | Cambridge University Press (1932) | June 1932 | Nature | doi:10.1038/129850a0 |
| God and the Astronomers | Inge, William Ralph | Longmans, Green & Co (1933) ISBN 978-1-376-16939-3 | December 1933 | The Cambridge Review | |
| Relativity, Gravitation and World-structure | Milne, Edward Arthur | Oxford University Press (1935) OCLC 1319934 | 1935 | The Observatory | The Observatory, p. 179, at Google Books |
| The Methodology of Pierre Duhem | Lowinger, Armand | Columbia University Press (1941) ISBN 978-0-404-04058-1 | February 1943 | Math. Gaz. | doi:10.2307/3605677 |
| Etudes sur la connaissance mathématique ["Studies in mathematical knowledge"] Essais sur la pensée géométrique ["Essays on geomteric thinking"] Prolégomènes à la théorie des quanta ["From Prolegomena to quantum theory"] | Greenwood, Thomas | University of Ottawa (1942) University of Ottawa (1943) University of Ottawa (1943) | March 1944 | Nature | doi:10.1038/153268a0 |
| Fact and Fiction in Modern Science | Gill, Henry V. | M. H. Gill and Son (1943) | September 1944 | Nature | doi:10.1038/154351a0 |
| Experiment and theory in physics | Born, Max | Cambridge University Press (1944) ISBN 978-1-107-66566-8 | October 1944 | Blackfriars | JSTOR 43701059 |
| The Philosophy of Bertrand Russell Library of Living Philosophers (Vol. 5) | Schilpp, Paul Arthur | Library of Living Philosophers (1944) ISBN 978-0-87548-138-8 | February 1945 | Nature | doi:10.1038/155128a0 |
| The Idea of Nature | Collingwood, R. G. | Oxford University Press (1945) ISBN 978-0-19-500217-1 | November 1945 | Philosophy | doi:10.1017/S0031819100026565 |
| Philosophic Foundations of Quantum Mechanics | Reichenbach, Hans | Cambridge University Press (1944) ISBN 978-0-520-04765-5 | September 1946 | Nature | doi:10.1038/158356a0 |
| The Common Sense of the Exact Sciences | Clifford, William Kingdon Edited by Karl Pearson Introduction by James R. Newman | Alfred A. Knopf (1946) | February 1947 | Nature | doi:10.1038/159248a0 |
| The Mathematics of Great Amateurs | Coolidge, Julian Lowell | Oxford University Press (1949) | September 1949 | Nature | doi:10.1038/164374a0 |
| Natural Philosophy of Cause and Chance | Born, Max | Oxford University Press (1949) ISBN 978-0-353-29268-0 | January 1950 | Scientific American | doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0150-56 |
| Some Problems in Natural Philosophy | Weyl, Hermann. Translated by Olaf Helmer | Princeton University Press (1949) | June 1950 | Nature | doi:10.1038/165865a0 |
| Albert Einstein: philosopher-scientist Library of Living Philosophers (Vol. 7) | Schilpp, Paul Arthur | Library of Living Philosophers (1949) ISBN 978-88-3282-023-2 | May 1950 | Scientific American | doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0550-56 |

### Popular articles

| Title | Date | Publication | DOI | Notes |
| "Mathematics at the British Association" | October 1900 | Nature | doi:10.1038/062561a0 | |
| "Recent Researches on Space, Time, and Force" | 1910 | J. London Math. Soc. | Recent Researches on Space, Time, and Force | |
| "Mathematics" | September 1950 | Scientific American | doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0950-40 | Gives a short account of the state of mathematics at the time of publication; discusses mathematical logic and the Principia Mathematica, along with Giuseppe Peano, Kurt Gödel, and intuitionism. |
| "Religion and the nature of the universe" | June 1950 | The Listener | | Philosophy and theism. Made the front cover of the weekly BBC magazine The Listener. A response to Fred Hoyle's series in the same magazine that was later published as The nature of the universe: a series of broadcast lectures in 1950. |
| "Energy and Eternity" | October 1950 | American Vogue | | Philosophy and theism. Reprint of "Religion and the nature of the universe" originally published in The Listener. |
| "Are there eternal truths?" | August 1952 | The Listener | | Philosophy and theism. Made the front cover of the weekly BBC magazine The Listener. |
| "G. F. FitzGerald" | November 1953 | Scientific American | doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1153-93 | |
| "William Rowan Hamilton" | May 1954 | Scientific American | doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0554-82 | Julius Sumner Miller published a response to the biography in August of the same year. |