Home
> Resources to know and learn more from the Genius Mind of Albert Einstein
31 July 2010
Resources to know and learn more from the Genius Mind of Albert Einstein
"Einstein's Dreams" by Alan Lightman
How does time flow? Why does time flow? Einstein’s Dreams, by Alan Lightman, attempts to answer those questions and more in thirty short stories – each set in a world where time doesn’t flow as we know it. The book begins in a Swiss patent office, where Einstein toils away every day, reviewing patent applications at the same time as writing his theory of time. Every so often, he writes inventors to suggest product enhancements – even though, much of the time, those lucky people don’t even know who’s making the proposals. The majority of this book is filled by the tales of Einstein’s dreams as imagined by Alan Lightman (as it should be), but the few pages here and there about Einstein’s real life are just enough to get the reader interested in what kind of a person he was.
In one story, cause and effect don’t always have to come in that order. When cause or effect can come first, how can one tell the two apart? In another tale, one part of a town may live in the fifteenth century while another lives in the twenty-first. In one fun-to-imagine world, people have discovered that an increase in speed through physical space results in a decrease in speed through time. Eager to preserve as much time as possible, they race everywhere they go. In another short story that really gets one thinking about different people’s different attitudes in the world, everyone lives forever. The world then separates into Nows and Laters. The Nows reckon that they might as well cram as much into their lives as possible, and thus rush to do everything as fast as possible. The Laters reason that, with all the time they have, why bother with work when they can just do it some other time? Those are all just a few of the many eye-opening and fanciful stories found within this masterful blend of art and science.
NOVA: Einstein's Big Idea (DVD, 2005) Directed by Gary Johnstone
Everyone's heard of it, but what does E=mc2 -- the world’s most famous equation -- really mean? And why did it change the world?
With brilliant period recreations, NOVA dramatizes how an obscure young patent clerk, Albert Einstein, came up with his shattering 1905 discovery that the realms of matter and energy are inescapably linked. An accessible, suspenseful epic, Einstein's Big Idea reveals the roots of his astonishing breakthrough in the human stories of men and women whose innovative thinking across four centuries helped lead to E=mc2, and ultimately unleashed the power of the atom.
Here are stories rich with achievement and failure, feuds and duplicity, love and rivalry, politics and revenge: Michael Faraday, the penniless blacksmith’s son who fought the ridicule of the scientific establishment; Antoine Lavoisier, the cool-headed experimenter who fell victim to the guillotine; and Lise Meitner, the physicist who weathered Nazi persecution and personal betrayal on her path to discovering the splitting of the atom.
As one discovery builds on the next, Einstein's Big Idea shows how Einstein's saga began with the personal lives of these pioneers and their years of persistence, ingenuity, sacrifice, and heroic struggle against the odds.
The film stars Aidan McArdle (Ella Enchanted) as Einstein, and Shirley Henderson (Bridget Jones and Harry Potter) as Einstein's first wife, Mileva Maric.
Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.
Einstein's Mistakes: The Human Failings of Genius by Hans C. Ohanian
Although Einstein was the greatest genius of the 20th century, many of his ground-breaking discoveries were blighted by mistakes, ranging from serious misconceptions in physics to blatant errors in mathematics. For instance, Einstein's first theoretical proof of the famous formula E = mc² was incomplete and only approximately valid; he struggled with this problem for many years, but he never found a complete proof (better mathematicians did). In this provocative forensic biography, Hans Ohanian dissects this and other mistakes and places them in the context of Einstein's turbulent life and times. Einstein was often navigating in a fog of irrational and mystical inspirations, but his profound intuition about physics permitted him to reach his goal despite—and sometimes because of-the mistakes he made along the way. Einstein's uncanny ability to use his mistakes subconsciously as stepping-stones toward his revolutionary theories was one hallmark of his genius.
Biography of Einstein
Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass–energy equivalence, E = mc 2. Einstein 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."
Einstein's many contributions to physics include his special theory of relativity, which reconciled mechanics with electromagnetism, and his general theory of relativity, which extended the principle of relativity to non-uniform motion, creating a new theory of gravitation. His other contributions include relativistic cosmology, capillary action, critical opalescence, classical problems of statistical mechanics and their application to quantum theory, an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules, atomic transition probabilities, the quantum theory of a monatomic gas, thermal properties of light with low radiation density (which laid the foundation for the photon theory), a theory of radiation including stimulated emission, the conception of a unified field theory, and the geometrization of physics.
Einstein published over 300 scientific works and over 150 non-scientific works. Einstein is revered by the physics community, and in 1999 Time magazine named him the "Person of the Century". In wider culture the name "Einstein" has become synonymous with genius.
Einstein's Major Accomplishments
Einstein was one of the fathers of the atomic age. He was one of the greatest scientists of all time. In 1905 Einstein contributed three papers to Annalen der Physik (Annals of Physics), a German scientific periodical. Each of them became the basis of a new branch of physics.
Einstein treated matter and energy as exchangeable. Albert Einstein became famous for the theory of relativity, which laid the basis for the release of atomic energy.
In 1905 Albert Einstein formulates Special Theory of Relativity.
He established law of mass- energy equivalence; through his famous formula E=mc²
Einstein calculates how the movement of molecules in a liquid can cause the Brownian motion.
Using Max Planck’s quantum Theory he formulated the photon theory of light and explains the photoelectric effect.
In 1916 proposes general theory of relativity-still central to our understanding of the universe. Einstein changed the political balance of power in the twentieth century, through his scientific foundation in the development of atomic energy. E=mc²
The Theory of Relativity
In his 1905 paper, titled “The Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,” Einstein presented the special theory of relatively. In this paper, he showed how the theory demonstrated the relativity of time, a previously unimaginable idea.
He advanced the theory of relativity when he was only 26 years old. Einstein’s relativity theory revolutionized scientific thought with new conceptions of time, space, mass, motion, and gravitation.
His famous equation E=mc² (energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared), became the foundation stone in the development of atomic energy.
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
The theory of relatively is founded on the idea that only relative motion can be measured. The consequences of this notion are profound, and shatter the Newtonian conception of the world. Both space and time are no longer absolutes.
Newtonian Mechanics
Isaac Newton codified the mathematical laws of motion and formulated the law of universal gravitation in his famous “Principia” written in the 17th century. The space and time are absolute, universal and independent of motion of bodies in space.
Einstein’s relativity
All motion can be measured only in relation to the observer who performs the measurement. Time and position are all relative to the observer: hence the theory has been called Einstein’s relativity.
Albert Einstein completes his theory of gravitation, known as the general theory of relativity, on Nov. 25, 1915. The theory is submitted to Annalen der Physik on Mar. 20, 1916.
Einstein presented the general theory of relativity to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1915.
Einstein and the Total Eclipse
Einstein’s theory is embodied in his famous equation E=mc². Although light photons don’t have mass, they have energy, and Einstein’s theory says that even pure energy has to behave in some ways like mass. Therefore light could be bend by the gravitation force of the sun.
Light from the background stars closely bypassing the sun on the way to the earth are being bend by the sun. The result is that the stars are seen in slightly different positions in the sky when the sun is in front of them, compared to their positions when the sun is elsewhere.
The eclipse of May 29,1919 confirmed Einstein’s theory that the light could be bend by the gravitational force of the sun. An English expedition in the area of the eclipse have actually measured the deflexion of starlight from the sun. The data of the expedition was presented to a special joint meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society of London on November 6, 1919.
The eminent Professor J.J. Thomson, discoverer of the electron and Chair of the meeting, was convinced: “This is the most important result obtained in connection with the theory of gravitation since Newton’s day.”
Quantum Mechanics
German Physicist Max Planck introduced the quantum theory. Einstein built in on the work of Max Planck. Planck had been working on an effect called black body radiation. The black body does not reflect the light and takes in all the energy of the lighting falling into it. Planck devise an explanation for the black body effect, stating that the light was not continuous energy (continuous waves). Instead, the energy of light existed as a stream of tiny particles, called quanta.
Light behaves like particles and thus can liberate by impact electrons from a metal surface. Later the light particles became known as the Photon. The Maxwell’s electromagnetic waves theory of light could not explain the Photoelectric effect.
The Photoelectric Effect
Using his theory of quanta, Einstein explained the photoelectric effect. He showed that when quanta of light energy strikes atoms in the metal, the quanta force the atoms to release electrons.
Einstein’s work helped justify the quantum theory. The photoelectric cell resulted from Einstein’s work. This device made possible sound motion pictures, television and many other inventions. Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in physics for his paper on quanta.
The work of Planck and Einstein quickly established the Quantum Theory, not only in light but also in many forms of energy. The quantum physics was born.
The Brownian Movement and The Atomic Theory of Matter
The third Einstein paper of 1905 concerned the movements of tiny particles floating in a liquid or gas. This effect has been seen earlier by the Scottish plant expert Robert Brown. It was renown as Brownian motion. Einstein’s paper on Brownian Motion confirmed the atomic theory of matter. This is viewed by many as the first proof that atoms actually exist.
Recommended Sources:
Collected Famous Quotes from Albert Einstein
- "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction."
- "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
- "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
- "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
- "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
- "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
- "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
- "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
- "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
- "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
- "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
- "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
- "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
- "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
- "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
- "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
- "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
- "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
- "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
- "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
- "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
- "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
- "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
- "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
- "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
- "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
- "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
- "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
- "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
- "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
- "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
- "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
- "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
- "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
- "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of
the gods."
- "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
- "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
- "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
- "Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
- "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of
patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
- "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics
so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
- "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the
slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
- "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our
equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation
stands forever."
- "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this
problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
- "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
- "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as
good as dead: his eyes are closed."
- "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
- "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to
genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through
striving after rational knowledge."
- "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who
believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent
illusion."
- "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is
meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
- "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This
coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."
- "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
- "He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
- "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires
and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by
widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
- "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts."
