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Questacon > Teachers > Exhibition
Educational Materials > Einstein > Einstein's
Biography
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. Popular legend indicates that he was a slow learner, learning
to speak much later than is average. Elementary school records show he was a gifted child, particularly
in maths, physics and violin playing. He rebelled against formal education by rote learning and was expelled
at the age of 15 (reputedly just before he dropped out). His family moved to Italy, mainly for business reasons.
Einstein renounced his German citizenship and went to live
with family in Italy then in Switzerland. He studied at the renowned Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich (then the Polytechnic). He failed the entrance exam first time, probably because of difficulties with the French language. He
missed many lectures, preferring self directed study, but passed
the final exams after a short period of intense 'learning'; reportedly
cramming from the notes of a friend.
Two year later in 1902, began steady employment as a patents officer
(technical expert third class) in Berne. Held this position for
seven years, the freedom from financial worries giving him time
to think about problems in physics. He had limited contact with
other physicists and little contact with academia.
In 1905 while still employed as a patents officer, he was awarded
his PhD in physics and published a number of papers that changed
the thinking about physics. This year is often referred to as the
annus mirabilis. The first of the papers was on the qantum theory
of light including an explanation of the photoelectric effect for
which he was awarded the Nobel prize for 1921. The second paper
was on a statistical paper on Brownian motion, a proof for the existence
of atoms. Other paper documented his reasoning on special relativity
which led to the famous equation E = mc2.
Work on generalising the theory led to the general relativity
paper which was published in 1916.
Einstein lived in Berlin during World War I and publicly expressed
dissatisfaction with German militarism. He suggested that warfare
be abolished and an International organisation be set up to mediate
between nations.
In 1919, general relativity principles were supported by observations
of a solar eclipse. Einstein became a celebrity.
1922 Einstein published his first paper on the unified field
theory. The quest for a Law combining all the known forces occupied
his
scientific attention until his death. He was keen to find an
alternative to quantum mechanics which described everything in
terms of probabilities.
His famous quote "God does not play dice" reflects this quest.
While visiting the US in 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany.
Einstein publicly criticised the racial and political policies of
Hitler, resigned his position at the University of Berlin and vowed
never to return to Germany. He then accepted a research position
at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
In 1939 Einstein wrote his famous letter to President Roosevelt
pointing out the possibilities of a nuclear bomb. An ardent pacifist,
he was prompted to do this by several prominent scientists and
the thought that Hitler would develop such a bomb first. In actuality
the first bomb fell on Japan after the fall of Germany in the
war. In 1946 he became chairman of he Emergency Committee for
Atomic Scientists. The FBI kept a file on his
political activities from 1932 until his death.
Einstein was a compassionate man with a deep regard for his
fellow humans and a love of children. He believed that humanity
needed to create a moral order if it was to survive. He identified
strongly with his Jewish identity, but regarded Judaism as a
culture rather than a religion. In 1952 he was offered, but declined,
the presidency of the State of Israel. Einstein died in 1955.
Einstein's Scientific Achievements The Exhibition
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