Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
- Died:
- April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (1879–1896), stateless (1896–1901), Swiss (1901–1955), German (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Einstein showed an early curiosity for mathematics and physics.
- He initially struggled with formal schooling, finding it stifling.
- He renounced his German citizenship in 1896.
- He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland (1902-1909).
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905 (the "annus mirabilis" papers):
- Concerning the photoelectric effect.
- Brownian motion.
- Special relativity.
- Mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
- Professor at the University of Zurich, Charles University in Prague, and ETH Zurich.
- Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin (1914).
- Developed the theory of general relativity (1915).
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution.
- Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey (1933-1955).
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, alerting him to the potential of nuclear weapons.
Notable Works
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905)
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905)
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905)
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
- "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)
- "The Meaning of Relativity" (1922)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and a symbol of intellectual brilliance. Any study of the history of modern physics must include an examination of figures like Albert Einstein, and perhaps even a look at "Chitram Srinu Biography of Albert Einstein" as a resource.