Albert Einstein was born in Ulm (Germany) on 14 March 1879, but his
family soon moved to Munich, where he spent his school years. The young
Einstein was not a particularly good student, and in 1894 he dropped out
of school entirely when his family moved to Italy. After failing the
entrance examination once, he was eventually admitted to the Swiss
Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1896. Although he did fairly well
as a student in Zurich, he was unable to get a job in any Swiss
university, as he was held to be extremely lazy. He left academia to
work in the Patent Office at Bern in 1902. This gave him a good wage
and, since the tasks given to a junior patent clerk were not exactly
onerous, it also gave him plenty of spare time to think about physics.
Einstein's special theory of relativity was published in 1905. It stands as one of the greatest intellectual achievements in the history of human thought. It is made even more remarkable by the fact that Einstein was still working as a patent clerk at the time, and was only doing physics as a kind of hobby. What's more, he also published seminal works that year on the photoelectric effect (which was to inspire many developments in quantum theory) and on the phenomenon of Brownian motion (the jiggling of microscopic particles as they are buffeted by atomic collisions).
But it is the special theory of relativity that was the great achievement because it managed to break way completely from the concept of time as an absolute property that marches on at the same rate for everyone and everything.
Special Relativity also spawned the most famous equation in all of physics: E=mc2, expressing the equivalence between matter and energy. This has also been tested experimentally, rather too often, because it id the principle behind the explosion of atomic bombs.
In 1916, Einstein published the general theory of relativity. Even ona conceptual level, the theory is difficult to grasp. The relativity of time embodied in the special theory is present in the general theory, but there are additional effects of time dilation and length contraction due to gravitational effects. And the problems don't end with time! In the special theory, space at least is well-behaved. In the general theory, even this goes out of the window. Space is curved.
An eclipse in 1919 led to the eventual acceptance of Einstein's general theory of relativity in the scientific community. This established Einstein as one of the century's greatest intellects but it also propelled him into the domain of popular culture. The London Times of 7 November 1919 carried the headline 'REVOLUTION IN SCIENCE. NEW THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE' and two days later the New York Times appeared with the headline 'LIGHTS ALL ASKEW IN THE HEAVENS' His fame expanded further. He was invited to appear in Variety at the London Palladium and he featured in popular songs, films and advertisements. He was now a cultural phenomenon.
Einstein continued to make other fundamental contributions to physics. He was a central figure in the debates raging round quantum theory that led to his famous phrase 'I can't believe God plays dice!'. He died in 1955.
Einstein's special theory of relativity was published in 1905. It stands as one of the greatest intellectual achievements in the history of human thought. It is made even more remarkable by the fact that Einstein was still working as a patent clerk at the time, and was only doing physics as a kind of hobby. What's more, he also published seminal works that year on the photoelectric effect (which was to inspire many developments in quantum theory) and on the phenomenon of Brownian motion (the jiggling of microscopic particles as they are buffeted by atomic collisions).
But it is the special theory of relativity that was the great achievement because it managed to break way completely from the concept of time as an absolute property that marches on at the same rate for everyone and everything.
Special Relativity also spawned the most famous equation in all of physics: E=mc2, expressing the equivalence between matter and energy. This has also been tested experimentally, rather too often, because it id the principle behind the explosion of atomic bombs.
In 1916, Einstein published the general theory of relativity. Even ona conceptual level, the theory is difficult to grasp. The relativity of time embodied in the special theory is present in the general theory, but there are additional effects of time dilation and length contraction due to gravitational effects. And the problems don't end with time! In the special theory, space at least is well-behaved. In the general theory, even this goes out of the window. Space is curved.
An eclipse in 1919 led to the eventual acceptance of Einstein's general theory of relativity in the scientific community. This established Einstein as one of the century's greatest intellects but it also propelled him into the domain of popular culture. The London Times of 7 November 1919 carried the headline 'REVOLUTION IN SCIENCE. NEW THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE' and two days later the New York Times appeared with the headline 'LIGHTS ALL ASKEW IN THE HEAVENS' His fame expanded further. He was invited to appear in Variety at the London Palladium and he featured in popular songs, films and advertisements. He was now a cultural phenomenon.
Einstein continued to make other fundamental contributions to physics. He was a central figure in the debates raging round quantum theory that led to his famous phrase 'I can't believe God plays dice!'. He died in 1955.
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