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PHYSICIST ALBERT EINSTEIN was one of the
greatest scientific thinkers of all time. His theories, or
ideas, on matter, space, and time revolutionized our
understanding of the universe, and have formed the
basis for much of modern physics. He is probably
best known for his work on relativity, first published
in 1905, which astounded the scientific community.
In this, Einstein showed that distance and time are
relative, not fixed. The faster anything travels, the
slower time seems to pass. His work on relativity led
to other revolutionary ideas on
energy and mass, and in
1921 he was awarded
the Nobel Prize. From
1933, he lived in the
United States. A
scientific genius, he
was also a pacifist,
and deeply religious.SCIENTIST
Einstein developed
his revolutionary
theories by devising what he
called “thought experiments.” For
example, he wondered what the
world would look like if he rode
on a beam of light. Such
simple questions often had
surprising answers, which
Einstein confirmed with
complex mathematics.
At the time, many
people did not believe
Einstein’s theories, but
later research has
proved him correct.ATOMIC ENERGY
Einstein produced the famous
equation E = mc^2 , where
energy (E) = mass (m)
multiplied by the square of the
speed of light (c). It showed
that an immense amount of
energy could be released by
splitting the nucleus of an atom.
This contributed to the development
of the atom bomb. From 1946, Einstein
was opposed to atomic weapons.RELATIVITY
The concept of relativity is very difficult to grasp. One of the central
ideas is “time dilation,” time seeming to slow down when things are
moving in relation to an observer who is still. This effect
increases at very high speeds approaching the speed
of light. This increase is not easy to show, because
we cannot notice it at the slow speeds we
experience. Nothing can travel faster than
light, which always travels at the same speed.
ALBERT
EINSTEIN
A visual puzzle helps
to demonstrate the
theory of relativity.1879 Born in Ulm, Germany.
1900 Graduates with degrees
in math and physics, in
Switzerland.
1902-09 Works in patent
office, Switzerland.
1905 Publishes Special
Theory of Relativity.
1916 Publishes General
Theory of Relativity.
1921 Awarded Nobel Prize
for Physics.
1933 Emigrates to US.
1955 Dies Princeton,
New Jersey.Someone in a
descending
elevator
drops a ball.
The ball
appears to
travel farther
to someone
watching
from outside
than it does
to the person
inside the
elevator, over
the same
amount of
time.
Different relative
viewpoints can alter
our perceptions.Albert Einstein
working in his study
in Princeton.Einstein was
famous for his
untidiness.Atoms and molecules
Science, history of
TimeFind out more
THE YOUNG EINSTEIN
Einstein was born in Germany,
and, as a small boy, was very
curious about things around him.
When he was 15, the family
moved to Switzerland, where
Einstein was educated. By the
time he graduated, he was already
pondering the nature of light.
He worked in a patent office
and at the age of 26 wrote
his first paper on relativity.