Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This is a factual question regarding the history and prominent pioneers of soil science and soil physics.
Detailed Explanation:
Let us review the contributions of each scientist listed in the options:
- V. Dokuchaev (A): Known as the "Father of Soil Science" (or Pedology) for establishing soil science as an independent scientific discipline and introducing the concept of soil forming factors.
- Daniel Hillel (B): A highly prominent modern soil physicist known for his extensive textbook writing and water management models.
- L.A. Richards (C): Lorenzo A. Richards is widely recognized as the "Father of Soil Physics" for his pioneering work in unsaturated water flow, formulating the Richards equation, and developing the pressure membrane apparatus to measure soil water potential.
- Thomas Way (D): Discovered the phenomenon of cation exchange in soils.
Step 2: Final Answer:
The father of soil physics is L.A. Richards, which corresponds to Option (C).