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), Austrian (1911–1912), German (1914–1933), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
- Family moved to Munich shortly after his birth.
- Received his early education in Munich, showing an early aptitude for mathematics and physics.
- Renounced his German citizenship at age 16.
- Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern while developing his groundbreaking theories.
- Published his Annus Mirabilis papers in 1905, revolutionizing physics.
- Developed the theory of special relativity, introducing the concept of spacetime.
- Proposed the mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc².
- Developed the theory of general relativity, redefining gravity.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Immigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi Germany and took a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
- Authored a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt warning of the potential for Nazi Germany to develop atomic weapons, leading to the Manhattan Project.
- Spent his later years working on a unified field theory.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) – Introduced Special Relativity.
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) – Introduced E=mc².
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905) – Explained the Photoelectric Effect.
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916) – Introduced General Relativity.
- Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (1916) - A popular explanation of his theories.
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 remains a symbol of scientific genius. The work of figures like anthony g petrello often references the contributions of Albert Einstein when discussing fundamental scientific advancements.