Albert Einstein: a Genius and a Creator

Why is the sky blue? Albert Einstein answered this question and many other questions during his lifetime. Albert Einstein is one of the greatest and most influential scientists to ever walk the Earth. His decision to go into the scientific field changed the way people have been living for the past 125 years. He is one of the greatest physicists ever and we are still feeling the affects of his theories and experiments.

Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. In his early school days his teacher thought that he was mentally challenged because he could not speak well until he was nine years old. He was born to a Jewish family and was Jewish himself. At an early age he realized how much he enjoyed mathematics. By the time he graduated from the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in 1900 he started to become more interested in physics than in mathematics.

After he finished college Albert Einstein was hired as an inspector in Bern, Switzerland and got married and had two kids. In 1901 Albert Einstein became a Swiss citizen. After he got his doctoral degree in physics he started to write articles about relativity and other scientific topics. These papers made Einstein famous, and universities soon began competing for his services. In 1909, after serving as a lecturer at the University of Bern, Einstein was called as an associate professor to the University of Zurich. Two years later he was appointed a full professor at the German University in Prague, Czechoslovakia. (https:// www.notablebiographies.com/Du-Fi/ Einstein-Albert.html). Albert Einstein chose to go back to The Federal Institute of Technology to teach.

In 1905 Albert Einstein formulated the equation E=mc^2, which means energy is equaled to mass times the speed of light. In this year he also invented the law of photoelectric effect, the ejection of electrons from a surface in response to light. 1905 became known as Albert Einstein's Wonderful Year. In 1915 he completed the Theory of Relativity, in this theory he determined that large objects like the sun or the moon cause a distortion in space time, which is known as gravity. It was published the following year. Also in 1916, Einstein came up with the idea of stimulated emission, when more atoms occupy a higher energy state than a lower one under normal temperature equilibrium , it is possible to force atoms to return to an unexcited state by stimulating them with the same energy as would be emitted naturally. (Einstein, Albert) Albert Einstein created many theories. He felt, We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. (Einstein, Albert) He believed in thinking about things in depth and in different ways. This was a new way of thinking.

Albert Einstein was not just a leader in the science world. He was also a humanitarian. Another famous quote of is is, Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. (Einstein, Albert) He consistently spoke out against war and violence. Even before World War 1 he was known as a pacifist. When World War 1 started he wrote an anti war declaration. He wanted other scientists to sign it. The stress of the conflict during wartime caused Albert to get sick in 1917. He continued to work even though he lost 50 pounds in two months. Although Albert did not support Germany and what they were doing, he would not stand by the League of Nations and their harsh reparations towards Germany. A quote from Albert Einstein that supports his decision is, Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. (Einstein,Albert) He demonstrated this quote many times with his words and his actions.

When Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and started sending people to Concentration Camps, Einstein was trying to escape because he found out that he was on an assassination list. In 1933 when World War II was beginning, Einstein was already in America. He stayed and later became an American citizen in 1940. He became a professor at Princeton, which is one of the most prestigious colleges in America and in the World. Albert Einstein was an influence on the creation of the Atomic bomb used by America on Japan. He did not help create it, but his Special Theory of Relativity made the possibility evident. Although he did believe the bomb should be built because of the concern that the German's were making such a bomb, he did not agree with the way that the Americans decided to use the bomb. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove too heavy for transportation by air. (Albert Einstein). This quote was taken from a letter that Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt warning him about some of the possible outcomes of making these bombs. He was saying that the bomb is very dangerous to make and have around you because one mistake or misstep it could cause unwanted mass destruction. Later, Einstein wrote, I have always condemned the use of the atomic bomb against Japan.(Otto,Nathan & Heinz, Norden, editors, Einstein on Peace,pg.580) Towards the end of his life, Albert Einstein publicly supported nuclear disarmament. He wanted people to use new technology responsibly. He stated, Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations. (Einstein, Albert) This is another example of his humanitarianism. On April 18, 1955, Albert Einstein died from an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which caused internal bleeding. He wanted to be cremated but it became know that a pathologist actually stole his brain during the autopsy. He was hoping he could find the reason behind Albert Einstein's intelligence. Later his brain was cut into pieces and given to different scientists for research. Pieces of his brain are now on display and the M??tter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Studies have shown that there are specific differences in Einstein's brain than other brains that were studied. This could be a reason for his superior intelligence over other people.

Albert Einstein received many honors because of his contributions to physics. He received a doctorate for his first paper about the Brownian Movement, which is a random movement of microscopic particles suspended in liquids or gases resulting from the impact of molecules of the surrounding medium (Merriam Webster). Another award is the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, After his death, Albert Einstein was named person of the century by the Time Magazine. They acknowledged both his academic accomplishments as well as his many humanitarian ideologies and beliefs. In 1984 the Albert Einstein World Award of Science was first awarded, it recognizes scientific and technological advances and encourages their development.

Albert Einstein has such a huge affect on us today because many of his theories have resulted in essential items we use. If it was not for the Theory of Relativity, GPS navigators would be off by kilometers. Laser device technology stems from Albert Einstein's theory of stimulated emission. Because of this people are able to read a bar code and even perform specific surgeries. The law of the Photoelectric Effect, which he received the Nobel Prize for, is responsible for solar panels, automatic street lamps, breathalyzer tests, as well as preventing elevator doors from closing on someone. Albert Einstein's equations have actually been used on Wall Street because of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem.

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.(Albert Einstein) This famous quote by Albert Einstein emphasizes his beliefs that without failures people would not have the success that they are capable of having. Albert Einstein had many successes in his life. The world still feels his contributions to this day. Why is the sky blue? In 1911 Einstein calculated a formula that explained the scattering of light from molecules that causes the sky to be blue. It is obvious that Albert Einstein's achievements have impacted our world to this day. To this day he is still one of the most influential people over the last 125 years because of his scientific endeavors as well as his humanitarianism ideologies.

Cite this page