I took a cultural history class in college that included a section on Albert Einstein, focusing in particular on his life, and on his best-known contribution to science: the theory of relativity.
The class was a seminar being co-taught by three professors -- from the physics, theology, and history departments. I vividly remember a day when the physics and theology professors got into a heated debate over a particular aspect of special relativity, which the physics professor was illustrating to the class with the example of solar flares.
"Let's say that Person A is standing on the sun -- and somehow not instantly burned to a crisp -- and Person B is standing on the Earth. They are both observing the sun when there's an eruption on the sun's surface at 12:00 P.M. But the sun is far enough away from Earth that the sun's light takes eight and a half minutes to travel to Earth. So, while Person A sees the explosion take place at 12:00 P.M., that same explosion won't actually take place until 12:08 for Person B."
"So when does the explosion actually happen, then?" pipes up the theology professor. "The explosion actually takes place at 12:00 P.M., right?"
"Only to Person A. To Person B, it takes place at 12:08."
"But when does it actually happen?"
"Well. It's -- it's relative."
The argument hardly ended there, but you get the idea. After all, the theory of relativity -- like all of Einstein's revolutions to the science of physics -- can be a little rough to wrap your mind around.
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany. (Which, by happy coincidence, is also Pi Day!) The common belief that Einstein flunked math as a child isn't true, but neither was he a prodigy -- in fact, Einstein didn't start speaking fluently until age nine. And yet, when it came to science, he'd already found a strong draw towards the mystery of nature; he was only five when he started wondering about the invisible force directing a compass needle. He was 12 when he first started studying Euclidean geometry, excelling in both differential and integral calculus at the age of 16.
His secondary education ended not because he was flunking math but because his "poor behavior" got him expelled! Einstein hated school life and was known for having a rebellious streak in him. He failed an entrance examination into the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Zurich, and so he detoured to the catonal school in Aarau, Switzerland. His diploma from the catonal school earned him automatic acceptance into the FIT. It was at FIT that he realized his passion was not strictly for mathematics, but rather in the fields of experimental and theoretical physics.
In 1900, Einstein passed his diploma examination at the FIT, but he wasn't offered a university assistantship from any of his professors. He spent several years working in a patent office in Bern, Switzerland, marrying Mileva Maric (a former Zurich classmate); they eventually had two sons. At age 26, Einstein was able to finish the requirements for his doctoral degree and began writing the first of his many innovative scientific papers.
First lecturing at the University of Bern, Einstein would be made an associate professor to the University of Zurich -- only to soon be appointed a full professor at the German University in Prague, and then a full professor at the FIT. In 1913, Einstein accepted a research professorship at the University of Berlin. He left for Germany, though his wife and sons remained behind (he and his wife would later divorce).
Einstein was an extensive world traveler. He was given an honorary visiting professorship at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, and during 1921-1922 he toured with Chaim Weizmann, the future president of Israel, to promote the cause of Zionism. (Einstein, both German and Jewish, was quickly rebuked by Germany for his actions, causing Einstein to eventually resign from the Prussian Academy of Science in 1933.)
Einstein also made several trips to the California Institute of Technology, and in 1933 -- the same year as his resignation from the Prussian Academy of Science -- he accepted a position at the new Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.
In 1939, Einstein signed a famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging Roosevelt to contact physicists who were working on the discoveries and possibilities of a new type of bomb based on the chain-reaction properties of uranium. But Einstein, a lifelong pacifist, would later be horrified with the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, and with his part in urging the U.S. government to look into the initial technology. "Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb," he said later in an interview, "I never would have lifted a finger."
After the death of Chaim Weizmann in 1952, Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel. He declined, thinking himself not experienced enough with politics to accept such a position. Einstein continued his work in physics until nearly the end of his life. He died on April 18, 1955, in Princeton, New Jersey.
When reading up on Albert Einstein, you don't have to be a physicist to appreciate his wit, wisdom, and his contribution to the study of science. Check out these links and reads to find out more about the world's most famous physicist.
More on Einstein:
- Albert Einstein: The Official Website!
- Princeton University: Celebrating Einstein's Birthday on Pi Day
- Chain Reaction: From Einstein to the Atomic Bomb - Discover Magazine
- Einstein: Imagine and Impact - The American Institute of Physics
- The Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem - Includes a lengthy biography, lists of resources, and links to Einstein for kids!
- Einstein's Big Idea: The Story Behind the World's Most Famous Equation - All about E=mc2
- Memorable Albert Einstein Quotes
Books by Einstein @ your Library
Books About Einstein @ your Library
-- Post by Ms. B
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