Howard P. Robertson

American mathematician and physicist

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Howard P. Robertson was an American mathematician and physicist known for his work in cosmology. In 1929, he summarized the most general space-time metric possible under the assumption of a homogeneous and isotropic universe. This metric, now known as the Robertson-Walker metric, along with the observed expansion of the universe, became foundational to 20th-century cosmology.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

astronomy
Development of the big-bang theory
…work, American mathematician and physicist Howard P. Robertson summarized the most general space-time metric that is possible under the assumption that the universe is homogeneous (of the same density everywhere) and isotropic (the same in all spatial directions). (A metric is a generalization of the Pythagorean theorem that describes the…
Read More
…work, American mathematician and physicist Howard P. Robertson summarized the most general space-time metric that is possible under the assumption that the universe is homogeneous (of the same density everywhere) and isotropic (the same in all spatial directions). (A metric is a generalization of the Pythagorean theorem that describes the…
Read More

unidentified flying object
The Robertson Panel and the Condon Report
The panel was headed by H.P. Robertson, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and included other physicists, an astronomer, and a rocket engineer. The Robertson Panel met for three days in 1953 and interviewed military officers and the head of Project Blue Book. In addition,…
Read More
The panel was headed by H.P. Robertson, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and included other physicists, an astronomer, and a rocket engineer. The Robertson Panel met for three days in 1953 and interviewed military officers and the head of Project Blue Book. In addition,…
Read More