ALBERT EINSTEIN

Albert Einstein


Of all the scientists to emerge from the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries there is one whose name is known by
almost all living people. While most of these do not
understand this man's work, everyone knows that its impact
on the world of science is astonishing. Yes,many have heard
of Albert Einstein's General Theory of relativity, but few
know about the intriguing life that led this scientist to
discover what some have called, "The greatest single
achievement of human thought."

Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1874.
Before his first birthday, his family had moved to Munich
where young Albert's father, Hermann Einstein, and uncle set
up a small electro-chemical business. He was fortunate to
have an excellent family with which he held a strong
relationship. Albert's mother, Pauline Einstein, had an
intense passion for music and literature, and it was she
that first introduced her son to the violin in which he
found much joy and relaxation. Also, he was very close with
his younger sister, Maja, and they could often be found in
the lakes that were scattered about the countryside near
Munich.

As a child, Einstein's sense of curiosity had already
begun to stir. A favorite toy of his was his father's
compass, and he often marveled at his uncle's explanations
of algebra. Although young Albert was intrigued by certain
mysteries of science, he was considered a slow learner. His
failure to become fluent in German until the age of nine
even led some teachers to believe he was disabled.

Einstein's post-basic education began at the Luitpold
Gymnasium when he was ten. It was here that he first
encountered the German spirit through the school's strict
disciplinary policy. His disapproval of this method of
teaching led to his reputation as a rebel. It was probably
these differences that caused Einstein to search for
knowledge at home. He began not with science, but with
religion. He avidly studied the Bible seeking truth, but
this religious fervor soon died down when he discovered the
intrigue of science and math. To him, these seemed much more
realistic than ancient stories. With this new knowledge he
disliked class even more, and was eventually expelled from
Luitpold Gymnasium being considered a disruptive influence.

Feeling that he could no longer deal with the German
mentality, Einstein moved to Switzerland where he continued
his education. At sixteen he attempted to enroll at the
Federal Institute of Technology but failed the entrance
exam. This forced him to study locally for one year until he
finally passed the school's evaluation. The Institute
allowed Einstein to meet many other students that shared his
curiosity, and It was here that his studies turned mainly to
Physics. He quickly learned that while physicists had
generally agreed on major principals in the past, there were
modern scientists who were attempting to disprove outdated
theories. Since most of Einstein's teachers ignored these
new ideas, he was again forced to explore on his own. In
1900 he graduated from the Institute and then achieved
citizenship to Switzerland.

Einstein became a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in
1902. This job had little to do with physics, but he was
able to satiate his curiosity by figuring out how new
inventions worked. The most important part of Einstein's
occupation was that it allowed him enough time to pursue his
own line of research. As his ideas began to develop, he
published them in specialist journals. Though he was still
unknown to the scientific world, he began to attract a large
circle of friends and admirers. A group of students that he
tutored quickly transformed into a social club that shared a
love of nature, music, and of course, science. In 1903 he
married Mileva Meric, a mathematician friend.

In 1905, Einstein published five separate papers in a
journal, the Annals of Physics. The first was immediately
acknowledged, and the University of Zurich awarded Einstein
an additional degree. The other papers helped to develop
modern physics and earned him the reputation of an artist.
Many scientists have said that Einstein's work contained an
imaginative spirit that was seen in most poetry. His work at
this time dealt with molecules, and how their motion
affected temperature, but he is most well known for his
Special Theory of Relativity which tackled motion and the
speed of light. Perhaps the most important part of his
discoveries was the equation: E= mc2.

After publishing these theories Einstein was promoted
at his office. He remained at the Patents Office for another
two years, but his name was becoming too big among the
scientific community. In 1908, Einstein began teaching party
time at the University of Berne, and the following year, at
the age of thirty, he became employed full time by Zurich
University. Einstein was now able to move to Prague with his
wife and two sons, Hans Albert and Eduard. Finally, after
being promoted to a professor, Einstein and his family were
able to enjoy a good standard of living, but the job's main
advantage was that it allowed Einstein to access an enormous
library. It was here that he extended his theory and
discussed it with the leading scientists of Europe. In 1912
he chose to accept a job placing him in high authority at
the Federal Institute of Technology, where he had originally
studied. It was not until 1914 that Einstein was tempted to
return to Germany to become research director of the Kaiser
Wilhelm Institute for Physics.

World War I had a strong effect on Einstein. While the
rest of Germany supported the army, he felt the war was
unnecessary, and disgusting. The new weapons of war which
attempted to mass slaughter people caused him to devote much
of his life toward creating peace. Toward the end of the war
Einstein joined a political party that worked to end the
war, and return peace to Europe. In 1916 this party was
outlawed by the government, and Einstein was seen as a
traitor.

In that same year, Einstein published his General
Theory of relativity, This result of ten years work
revolutionized physics. It basically stated that the
universe had to be thought of as curved, and told how light
was affected by this. The next year, Einstein published
another paper that added that the universe had no boundary,
but actually twisted back on its self.

After the war, many aspects of Einstein's life changed.
He divorced his wife, who had been living in Zurich with the
children throughout the war, and married his cousin Elsa
Lowenthal. This led to a renewed interest in his Jewish
roots, and he became an active supporter of Zionism. Since
anti-Semitism was growing in Germany, he quickly became the
target of prejudice. There were many rumors about groups who
were trying to kill Einstein, and he began to travel
extensively. The biggest change, though, was in 1919 when
scientist who studied an eclipse confirmed that his theories
were correct.

In 1921, he traveled through Britain and the United
States raising funds for Zionism and lecturing about his
theories. He also visited the battle sites of the war, and
urged that Europe renew scientific and cultural links. He
promoted non-patriotic, non-competitive education, believing
that it would prevent war from happening in the future. He
also believed that socialism would help the world achieve
peace.

Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.
He gave all the money to his ex-wife and children to help
with their lives and education. After another lecture tour,
he visited Palestine for the opening the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem. He also talked about the possibilities that
Palestine held for the Jewish people. Upon his return
he began to enjoy a calmer life in which he returned to his
original curiosity, religion.

While Einstein was visiting America in 1933 the Nazi
party came to power in Germany. Again he was subject to anti-
Semitic attacks, but this time his house was broken into,
and he was publicly considered an enemy of the nation. It
was obvious that he could not return to Germany, and for the
second time he renounced his German citizenship. During
these early years in America he did some research at
Princeton, but did not accomplish much of significance.

In 1939 the second World War began to take form. There
was heated argument during this time over whether the United
States should explore the idea of an atomic bomb. Einstein
wrote to President Roosevelt warning him of the disaster
that could occur if the Nazi's developed it first. Einstein
did not participate in the development of the bomb, but the
idea did stem from his equation E=mc2. Just as he knew that
the bomb was under development, he also knew when it was
going to be used. Just before the bomb was dropped on Japan
Einstein wrote a letter to the President begging him not to
use this terrible weapon.

The rest of Einstein's life was dedicated to promoting
peace. After the war ended, he declared, "The war is won,
but the peace is not." He wrote many articles and made many
speeches calling for a world government. His fame, at this
point, was legendary. People from all over would write to
him for advice, and he would often answer them. He also
continued his scientific research until the day he died.
This was on April 18, 1955. There is no doubt that he was
dissatisfied that he never was able to find the true meaning
of existence that he strove for all his life.

Bibliography

Clark, Ronald W., Einstein - The Life and Times, New
York: World Publishing, 1971.

Dank, Milton, Albert Einstein, New York: An Impact
Biography, 1920.

Dukas, Helen and Banesh Hoffman, eds., Albert Einstein:
The Human Side, Princeton: University Press, 1979.

Einstein, Albert, Carl Seelig, ed., Ideas and Opinions,
New York: Bonanza Books, 1954.

"Einstein, Albert." Random House Encyclopedia, Random
House Press, 1990 edition.

Hunter, Nigel, Einstein, New York: Bookwright Press,
1987.

Nourse, Dr. Alan E., Universe, Earth, and Atom: The
Story of Physics, New York and Evanston: Harper & Row,
Publishers, 1969.