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“……the greatest scientist of modern times.” THE TIMES OF LONDON, 21 APRIL 1955
Everybody loves a hero.Aristotle,Galilieo Galilei, Isaac Newton,Charles Darwin- these names stand out from the crowd as the movers and shakers of scientific revolutions. Among this role call of scientific genius, one name best symbolizes both intellectual sparkle and the instigation of dramatic change in our world view: Albert Einstein. He was a genius, he did revolutionize science, and much of his work was largely a result of his own efforts. Einstein the man--husband, father, philosopher, musician and world statesman-is a far more complex individual. In popular culture, the name "Einstein" has become synonymous with intelligence and genius. Youth Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, around 11:30 AM LMT, to a Jewish family, in the city of Ulm in Württemberg, Germany, about 100 km east of Stuttgart.
At his birth, Albert's mother was reputedly frightened that her infant's head was so large and oddly shaped. Though the size of his head appeared to be less remarkable as he grew older
Another more famous aspect of Einstein's childhood is the fact that he spoke much later than the average child. Einstein claimed that he did not begin speaking until the age of three and only did so hesitantly, even beyond the age of nine— some observers at the time suggested that he might be "retarded", such as one of the Einstein family's housekeepers.
When Einstein was five, his father showed him a small pocket compass, and Einstein realized that something in "empty" space acted upon the needle. He built models and mechanical devices for fun and showed great mathematical ability early on. Personal Life
In 1903, Einstein married to Mileva Maric{a serbian mathematician}. They had two sons. Einstein divorced Mileva on February 14, 1919, and married his cousin Elsa Löwenthal on June 2, 1919. She was three years older than Albert.There were no children from this marriage.
Works and Doctorate Einstein attended high school in Switzerland, and became a swiss citizen in 1900. He received his Ph.D in 1905 from the University of Zurich. The same year, he published his papers on special relativity, on photoelectric effect, and on theory of brownian motion. Within a few years these papers established his reputation as one of the most brilliant and original scientists in the world. In addition, he made significant advancements to Quantum theory and statisticalmechanics. While best known for the Theory of Relativity (and specifically mass-energy equivalence, E=mc2), he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his 1905 (his "wonderful year" or "miraculous year") explanation of the Photoelectric effect and "for his services to Theoretical Physics". {Among his many investigations were: capillary action, his special theory of relativity which stemmed from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field, his general theory of relativity which extended the principle of relativity to include gravitation, relativistic cosmology, critical opalescence, classical problems of statistical mechanics and problems in which they were merged with quantum theory, including an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules, atomic transition probabilities, criticism of the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory, the quantum theory of a monatomic gas, the thermal properties of light with a low radiation density which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light, the theory of radiation, including stimulated emission; the construction of a unified field theory, and the geometrization of physics.} Do you know ? Years of Fame In 1915 Einstein had proposed that curvature of space-time by the Sun would be sufficient to bend starlight that is passing in it’s vicinity. Starlight should bend around the sun in a precise calculable way, similar to the way glass bends light. But since the brilliance of Sun’s light masks any stars during the day, scientists would have to wait for an eclipse of the sun to make the decisive experiment. A group led by the british astrophysicist Arthur Eddington{ Pioneer of ‘black hole’}, sailed to the Gulf of Guinea to record the bending of starlight around the Sun during the next solar eclipse in 1919. The data they gathered indicated an average deviation of starlight to be 1.79 arc seconds, which confirmed Einstein’s prediction of 1.74 arc seconds{to within the experimental error }. In other words light did bend near the Sun. On November 6, 1919 Nobel laureate and royal society president J.J Thompson said solemnly that this was “one of the greatest achievements in history of human thought”.Nobel laureate Max Born viewed General Relativity as the "greatest feat of human thinking about nature"; fellow laureate Paul Dirac called it "probably the greatest scientific discovery ever made". These comments and resulting publicity cemented Einstein's fame. The next day New York Times splashed the headline: “ Revolution in Science--Einstein theory triumphs--Newton’s ideas overthrown”. The headline marked the moment when Einstein became a world renowned figure, a messenger from the stars. Theory Of Every thing {TOE} Time Magazine chooses him as a man of the Century. Albert Einstein had three great theories. His first theory of Special Relativity {1905} gave us E=mc², which led to the atomic bomb and unlocked the secret of stars. His second great theory was General Relativity {1915} which gave us Space warps, the Big Bang, and Black holes. But many don’t realize that his greatest theory was never finished: a “Theory of Everything”. But on third try Einstein failed. He spent the last 30 years of his life chasing after an equation, perhaps no more than one inch long, that would explain all physical phenomena. Everything from creation, to supernovas, to atoms and molecules, perhaps even DNA, people, and love was to be explained by this equation. If discovered, it was to have been the ultimate achievement of 2000 years of investigation into the nature of space and matter, ever since the Greeks asked what was the smallest particle and the smallest unit of space. Although there are many unresolved questions, today the leading and, in fact, only candidate for the Theory of Everything is ‘Superstring’ theory. Super string theory in turn may one day answer some of the deepest questions of the universe, such as: • What happened before big bang? • Is it possible to build a time machine? • Can we punch a hole in space? Not only the power of this theory startled the world of mathematics and shaken the world of physics, it is also the craziest theory ever proposed. Manhattan Project Einstein opposed tyrannical forms of government, and for this reason (and his Jewish background), opposed the Nazi regime and fled Germany shortly after it came to power. Einstein initially favored construction of the atomic bomb, in order to ensure that Hitler did not do so first, and even sent a letter to President Roosevelt dated August 2, 1939, before World War II broke out, encouraging him to initiate a program to create a nuclear weapon. Roosevelt responded to this by setting up a committee for the investigation of using uranium as a weapon, which in a few years was superseded by the Manhattan Project. Aftermath: After the war, though, Einstein lobbied for nuclear disarmament and a world government: "I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Einstein’s life long pacifism and disgust at the construction of the atomic bomb made him a tireless campaigner for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for reapprochement with the Soviet union.
Albert Einstein’s Brain The brain of Albert Einstein has often been a subject of research and speculation. Einstein's brain was removed within 7 hours of his death. An autopsy was performed on Einstein by Dr. Thomas Stoltz Harvey, who removed and preserved his brain. Harvey found nothing unusual with his brain, but in 1999 further analysis by a team at McMaster University revealed that his parietal operculum region was missing and, to compensate, his inferior parietal lobe was 15% wider than normal. The inferior parietal region is responsible for mathematical thought, visuospatial cognition, and imagery of movement. Einstein's brain also contained 73% more glial cells than the average brain. A lifetime studying difficult mathematical and physical problems may have enriched Einstein’s environment. Other uselfull studies on Einstein's brain have shown that it is considerably more dense than other average brains of equal size. In the honour of Einstein In 1952 the young nation of Israel offered Einstein the presidency, but he declined.
The ninety-ninth element in the periodic table was discovered shortly after Einstein's death in 1955, and it was named "einsteinium."
The year 2005 has been named the World Year of Physics in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's "Miracle Year," in which he published three landmark papers, and the subsequent advances in the field of physics. Final Years Einstein died at 1:15 AM in Princeton hospital in Princeton, New Jersey, on April 18, 1955 at the age of 76.The only person present at his deathbed, a hospital nurse, said that just before his death he mumbled several words in German that she did not understand. His health had deteriorating for a decade, and an exploratory operation had revealed a large aneurysm of the aorta, which caused him periods of acute abdominal pain. He spent his postwar years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, living and working in relative seclusion. He was cremated without ceremony , he died at Trenton, New Jersey, in accordance with his wishes. His ashes were scattered at an undisclosed location. For half a century, humanity’s most influential scientist had dazzled the world with his scintillating intellect. Now that chapter of history was brought to a close. The man who had shown the world how time could be stretched had finally run out of it. Einstein was always interested in human world about him, and frequently expressed his views on political matters. He was a consistent opponent of political tyranny, an ardent pacifist, and a firm supporter of Zionism. He was a marked individualist, had a fine sense of humour, a becoming modesty, and some talent as a violinist.
The inscription on Newton’s tomb might be applied even more appropriately to Einstein:
“let mortals rejoice that, so great an ornament to the human race has existed!”
EINSTEIN QUOTES {Do read it!}
“Why is that nobody understands me and everybody likes me?”
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
“I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”
“If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut.”
“If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
“Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”
“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”
“The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.”
“The only source of knowledge is experience.”
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
“The hardest thing to understand is why we can understand anything at all.” “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” “As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” “Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater.” “I could burn my fingers that I wrote that first letter to Roosevelt.” (Comment after the bombing of Hiroshima, regarding his letter to Roosevelt warning of the possibility of the development of a nuclear weapon.) “I don't pretend to understand the universe — it's much bigger than I am.”
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” “Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.”
“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”
“The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.” “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”