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_alberteinstein _
By: meee
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 hey 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 marvelled 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 teachersto 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 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 Word Count: 1594 Alber Einstein By: Angel Mendoza Albert Einstein Albert
Einstein was a famous scientist, writer and professor. He was born in Ulm,
Germany, on March 24,1879. As a child, Einstein wasn't like the other boys: he
hated school but loved math. He was shy, and talked very slowly. He didn't
participate in sports but instead played with mechanical toys, put together
jigsaw puzzles, built towers and studied nature. At school and home he would
ask many questions and because of that everybody thought he was dumb. Once
when he was sick in bed, his father Herman, bought him a compass; and Albert
asked "Why does the needle point to the north?" His father didn't know the
answer. Herman was calm, friendly and had a black mustache. Einstein also had
a brother, Jakob. Studied electrical machinery firm financed by the Kocks.
Pauline, Einstein's mother was a cultured women and an excellent pianist.
Pauline encouraged Einstein to study the violin along with his scientific
ambitions. There was a strong physical resemblance between Einstein and his
younger sister Maja, and the two had a close relationship throughout their
lives. Maja, also a pianist, married Paul Winteler Einstein childhood friend,
Paul Winteler, in 1910 and later moved to the United States. When Einstein was
older, he invented electric eye. He also was asked to be the president of
Israel, but he refused. When Einstein was a teen-ager he was very interested
in science. When he wanted to relax he would play the violin which he started
playing at the age of six. The kocks, his mother's family, and the Einstein
had lived in Southern Germany for more than a century, selling cloth, farming,
and clerking in banks. During their free hours they enjoyed boating on the
Danube and walking in the woods. Both families were Jewish . In 1880, when
Albert was one year old, his father's business failed and the family moved to
Munich, the capital of Bavaria A heavily catholic city, it featured art
galleries, breweries and a university. Einstein's father Herman. managed an
electrical machinery firm which was financed partly by the Kock family.
Einstein's mother Pauline, was a cultured woman and excellent pianist. She was
11 years younger than her husband. Pauline not only motivated her son to
encouraged his scientific ambitions. When Einstein was fifteen, his father's
business failed again, and the family relocated in Italy, Milan. Einstein
stayed behind to complete his education, but soon was asked to live school. He
eventually joined his family in Italy. His parents continued to support his
scientific interests, however enabling him to study at the " Swiss Federal
Polytechnic School," or "Swiss Federal Institute of Technology," in Zurich. At
the institute, Einstein met a petite, dark-haired Mileva Maric, who excelled
in mathematics. Albert and Mileva were married on January 6, 1903. Although
the couple had two sons, Mileva was dissatisfied with her life. She wanted
either a career in her husband's work. After many years of disagreement, the
couple divorced in 1919, and Mileva became a university teacher of
mathematics. Einstein kept in touch with her and his sons, and in the early
20s, he gave Mileva his entire forty-five thousand dollars Nobel Prize. Han's
Albert, Einsteins older son, developed a good relationship with his father. He
became a good engineer, and when Einstein moved to United States in 1933, Hans
Albert visited him often, ultimately setting here with his own family.
Einstein younger son Eduard, began reading Shakespeare at the age of five. He
got his father permission to concentrated on music and literature but did not
achieve success. Eduard later accused his father of ruining his life a nervous
breakdown. Although Einstein rushed to Switzerland when Eduard became ill,
neither he nor the psychiatrists were able to help. Eduard lived with his
mother until her death, when he was placed in a mental institution. Einstein
also proved that matter and energy are really different forms of the same
thing, which is the Special Theory of Relativity. Einstein's General Theory of
Relativity showed that gravity, too, is relative. Gravity is the force that
attracts two bodies of matter toward one another. This theory explained that a
person gaining speed would feel *a force exactly like the pull of gravity. In
a spaceship without windows, that person would not be able to tell if the ship
had started too move faster, or if it were being pulled by gravity from planet
of star. In 1929. Einstein had doubts about whether an atomic bomb could
really be made. ON August 6, 1945, the United states dropped an atomic bomb on
Japan. Since this Einstein had believed the conflict could be settled without
restorting to such a terrible weapon. "Oh weh!" he gasped. It was cry of
sorrow that went beyond words. On August 9, the United states drop a second
bomb on Japan, ending war. A new historical atomic age, had been born, and no
one knew better than Einstein the threat it posed to human survival. For the
rest of his life, he worked to make sure the bomb would never be used again.
He served in committees to inform the public about atomic energy and the
growing danger of weapons development. In 1905 Einstein proposed his Special
Theory of Relativity. According to this theory, people view time and space
differently, depending on their positions relative, or in relation, to one
another. For example, To a person standing at the exact midpoint between two
lamps, those lamps might appear to flash at the same time. But a person
passing by very quickly in a train would see one lamp flash before the other.
This happens because the light from one lamp would reach that person before
the light from other lamp. Time, then would be different for the two people.
Einstein had many opportunities to speak out about causes in which he
believed. One of those causes was Zionism, the movement to create the Jewish
nation of Israel. Another was world peace. Many times he urged the nations of
the world to get rid of their weapons. Einstein is remembered as a great
scientist who worked hard to make the world a better place for all people.
Word Count: 1030
_Bibliography _
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Word Count: 2735
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