Albert Einstein (: - Styne
Albert Einstein (: - Styne
Albert Einstein (: - Styne
April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist[5] who developed the theory of relativity, one of
the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).[3][6]:274 His work is also known for its
influence on the philosophy of science.[7][8] He is best known to the general public for his mass–
energy equivalence formula , which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation".[9] He
received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for
his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect",[10] a pivotal step in the development of quantum
theory.
Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough
to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led him
to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern (1902–
1909). He subsequently realized that the principle of relativity could be extended to gravitational
fields, and published a paper on general relativity in 1916 introducing his theory of gravitation. He
continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his
explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal
properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, he applied the
general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe.[11][12]
Einstein moved to Switzerland in 1895 and renounced his German citizenship in 1896. After being
stateless for more than five years, he acquired Swiss citizenship in 1901, which he kept for the rest
of his life. Except for one year in Prague, he lived in Switzerland between 1895 and 1914.
He received his academic diploma from the Swiss federal polytechnic school (later the
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, ETH) in Zürich in 1900. Between 1902 and 1909, he hold a
job in Bern as a patent examiner at the Federal Office for Intellectual Property, the patent office. In
1905, called his annus mirabilis (miracle year), he published four groundbreaking papers, which
attracted the attention of the academic world. That year, at the age of 26, he was awarded a PhD by
the University of Zurich.
He taught theoretical physics for one year (1908/09) at the University of Bern, for two years (1909-
11) at the University of Zurich, and after one year at the Charles University in Prague he returned to
his alma mater ETH Zurich between 1912 and 1914, before he left for Berlin, where he was elected
to the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
In 1933, while Einstein was visiting the United States, Adolf Hitler came to power. Because of
his Jewish background, Einstein did not return to Germany.[13] He settled in the United States and
became an American citizen in 1940.[14] On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting FDR to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a
new type" and recommending that the US begin similar research. This eventually led to
the Manhattan Project. Einstein supported the Allies, but he generally denounced the idea of
using nuclear fission as a weapon. He signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto with British
philosopher Bertrand Russell, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. He was affiliated
with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.
He published more than 300 scientific papers and more than 150 non-scientific works.[11][15] His
intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with
"genius".[16] Eugene Wigner compared him to his contemporaries, writing that "Einstein's
understanding was deeper even than Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating
and more original".[17]