Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 27 Albert Einstein From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Albert Einstein ( /ælbərt a nsta n/; Albert Einstein German: [albt a nʃta n] ( listen); 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics.[2] 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". [3] The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory within physics. 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 to the development of his special theory of relativity. He Albert Einstein in 1921 realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his Born 14 March 1879 subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published Ulm, Kingdom of Württemberg, a paper on the general theory of relativity. He German Empire continued to deal with problems of statistical Died mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his 18 April 1955 (aged 76) explanations of particle theory and the motion of Princeton, New Jersey, United States molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties Residence Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory States of light. In 1917, Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe as a Ethnicity Jewish [4] whole. Citizenship Württemberg/Germany (until 1896) He was visiting the United States when Hitler came to Stateless (1896–1901) power in 1933, and did not go back to Germany, where Switzerland (from 1901) he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Austria (1911–12) Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming a citizen in Germany (1914–33) 1940. On the eve of World War II, he helped alert [1] President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany might United States (from 1940) be developing an atomic weapon, and recommended Alma mater ETH Zurich that the U.S. begin similar research. Later, together University of Zurich with Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell– Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of Known for General relativity and special nuclear weapons. Einstein taught physics at the relativity Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey, Photoelectric effect until his death in 1955. Mass-energy equivalence Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers Quantification of the Brownian along with over 150 non-scientific works. [4][5] His motion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein 5/23/2011 Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 27 great intelligence and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.[6] Einstein field equations Bose–Einstein statistics Unified Field Theory Contents Spouse Mileva Mari ć (1903–1919) Elsa Löwenthal, née Einstein, 1 Biography (1919–1936) 1.1 Early life and education 1.2 Marriages and children Awards Nobel Prize in Physics (1921) 1.3 Patent office Copley Medal (1925) 1.4 Academic career Max Planck Medal (1929) 1.5 Travels abroad Time Person of the Century 1.6 Emigration from Germany 1.6.1 World War II and the Signature Manhattan Project 1.6.2 U.S. citizenship 1.7 Death 2 Scientific career 2.1 Annus Mirabilis papers 2.2 Thermodynamic fluctuations and statistical physics 2.3 General principles postulated by Einstein 2 2.4 Theory of relativity and E = mc 2.5 Photons and energy quanta 2.6 Quantized atomic vibrations 2.7 Adiabatic principle and action-angle variables 2.8 Wave-particle duality 2.9 Theory of critical opalescence 2.10 Zero-point energy 2.11 General relativity and the Equivalence Principle 2.12 Hole argument and Entwurf theory 2.13 Cosmology 2.14 Modern quantum theory 2.15 Bose–Einstein statistics 2.16 Energy momentum pseudotensor 2.17 Unified field theory 2.18 Wormholes 2.19 Einstein–Cartan theory 2.20 Equations of motion 2.21 Other investigations 2.22 Collaboration with other scientists 2.22.1 Einstein-de Haas experiment 2.22.2 Schrödinger gas model 2.22.3 Einstein refrigerator 2.23 Bohr versus Einstein http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein 5/23/2011 Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 27 2.24 Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox 3 Political and religious views 4 Non-scientific legacy 5 In popular culture 6 Awards and honors 7 See also 8 Publications 9 Notes 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links Biography Early life and education Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire on 14 March 1879. [7] His father was Hermann Einstein, a salesman and engineer. His mother was Pauline Einstein (née Koch). In 1880, the family moved to Munich, where his father and his uncle founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie , a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current.[7] The Einsteins were non-observant Jews. Albert attended a Catholic elementary school from the age of five for three years. Later, at the age of eight, Einstein was transferred to the Luitpold Gymnasium where he received advanced primary and secondary school education till he left Germany seven years later. [8] Although it has been thought that Einstein had early speech difficulties, this is disputed by the Albert Einstein Archives, and he excelled at the first school that he attended. [9] Einstein at the age of 4 His father once showed him a pocket compass; Einstein realized that there must be something causing the needle to move, despite the apparent "empty space". [10] As he grew, Einstein built models and mechanical devices for fun and began to show a talent for mathematics. [7] In 1889, Max Talmud (later changed to Max Talmey) introduced the ten-year old Einstein to key texts in science, mathematics and philosophy, including Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason and Euclid's Elements (which Einstein called the "holy little geometry book"). [11] Talmud was a poor Jewish medical student from Poland. The Jewish community arranged for Talmud to take meals with the Einsteins each week on Thursdays for six years. During this time Talmud wholeheartedly guided Einstein through many secular educational interests. [fn 1][fn 2] In 1894, his father's company failed: direct current (DC) lost the War of Currents to alternating current (AC). In search of business, the Einstein Albert Einstein in 1893 (age family moved to Italy, first to Milan and then, a few months later, to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein 5/23/2011 Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 4 of 27 Pavia . When the family moved to Pavia, Einstein stayed in Munich to finish his studies at the Luitpold Gymnasium. His father intended for 14) him to pursue electrical engineering, but Einstein clashed with authorities and resented the school's regimen and teaching method. He later wrote that the spirit of learning and creative thought were lost in strict rote learning. In the spring of 1895, he withdrew to join his family in Pavia, convincing the school to let him go by using a doctor's note. [7] During this time, Einstein wrote his first scientific work, "The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields". [14] Einstein applied directly to the Eidgenössische Polytechnische Schule (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland. Lacking the requisite Matura certificate, he took an entrance examination, which he failed, although he got exceptional marks in mathematics and physics. [15] The Einsteins sent Albert to Aarau, in northern Switzerland to finish secondary school. [7] While lodging with the family of Professor Jost Winteler, he fell in love with Winteler's daughter, Marie. (His sister Maja later married the Wintelers' son, Paul.) [16] In Aarau, Einstein studied Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. At age 17, he graduated, and, with his father's approval, renounced his citizenship in the German Kingdom of Württemberg to avoid military service, and in 1896 he enrolled in the four year mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the Polytechnic in Zurich. Marie Winteler moved to Olsberg, Switzerland for a teaching post. Einstein's future wife, Mileva Mari ć, also enrolled at the Polytechnic that same year, the only woman among the six students in the mathematics and physics section of the teaching diploma course. Over the next few years, Einstein and Mari ć's friendship developed into romance, and they read books together on extra-curricular physics in which Einstein was taking an increasing interest. In 1900 Einstein was awarded the Zurich Polytechnic teaching diploma, but Mari ć failed the examination with a poor grade in the mathematics component, theory of functions. [17] There have been claims that Mari ć collaborated with Einstein on his celebrated 1905 papers, [18][19] but historians of physics who have studied the issue find no evidence that she made any substantive contributions. [20][21][22][23] Marriages and children Main article: Einstein family In early 1902, Einstein and Mileva Mari ć had a daughter they named Lieserl in their correspondence, who was born in Novi Sad where Mari ć's parents lived. [24] Her full name is not known, and her fate is uncertain after 1903. [25] Einstein and Mari ć married in January 1903. In May 1904, the couple's first son, Hans Albert Einstein, was born in Bern, Switzerland. Their second son, Eduard, was born in Zurich in July 1910. In 1914, Einstein moved to Berlin, while his wife remained in Zurich with their sons.