Albert Einstein 4 Essay, Research Paper

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 nearMunich.

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 atraitor.

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 theorieswere 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 achievepeace.

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.

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