ALBERT EINSTEIN

EARLY LIFE Born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. Family was Jewish, but not strongly religious. Young Albert did not speak until the age of five. Interest in science sparked when father gave him a compass when he was five. Excelled at math and science in school, but performed averagely in all other subjects. Family moved to Milan, Italy in 1894. Albert left high school to avoid serving in the German military.

YOUNG ADULT Finished high school in Switzerland and attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich. Here he met future wife Mileva Maric. He graduated from the Polytechnic School in 1901 and decided to become a Swiss citizen. He found work as a technical assistant in a Swiss patent office. His first son, Hans Albert was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1904. Received doctorate in 1905 and published the Special Theory of Relativity.

LIFE AS A SCHOLAR Became a lecturer at University of Bern in 1908. Moved to University of Zurich as a professor of physics in 1909. 1911, Took position as professor of physics at Karl-Ferdinand University. Kaiser Wilhelm University of Physics hired him as University director in 1914. Published the General Theory of Relativity in 1915.

Life In America Moved to the United States in 1933 due to the rise of the Nazis in Germany Despite Pacifist beliefs, urged America to begin work on the atomic bomb in order to acquire the technology before Germany could. Began working at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. Acquired full United States citizenship in 1940. Advocate of the civil rights movement.

Later Life and Death Offered the position as President of Israel in 1952, but did not feel qualified for the position. April 17, 1955, experienced a rupture in the abdomen that led to internal bleeding. Refused surgery stating: "I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly.” Died on April 18, 1955 at age 76 Brain illegally removed to be studied. Cremated.

The Theory of Relativity Einstein produced two theories: the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity. Special Relativity states that the speed of light is always the same, therefore, time and space must be objective. This is why an event can appear differently to two people in different spaces or travelling at distant speeds. The constant of light speed also affects time in that time moves slower the faster one accelerates. The constant affects mass in that the faster an object moves the more massive it becomes. The relationship between mass and light is explained in the famous equation E=mc^2. In General Relativity, it is theorized that massive bodies create a warping in time and space that we experience as gravity. A common analogy is the image of a bowling ball being placed on a trampoline and creating a large dimple in the fabric. If a smaller bowl was placed at the edge of this dimple it would enter the dip and spiral inwards towards the larger object. The only thing that keeps massive bodies such as the Earth and moon from colliding, as the larger and smaller ball would, is the fact that the moon exerts its own force of gravity.

Impact of the Theory The Theory of Relativity changed the idea that the speed of all objects was dependent upon space and time, no the other way around, as is the case with light. It also explained the universality of the laws of physics, that had previously seemed changeable to some. Finally, in general relativity, gravity, while understood to be and immutable law of nature, was finally explained.

Works Cited Redd, Taylor Nola. Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Space.com, n.d. Web. April 2, 2013. Shirber, Michael. What is Relativity. Lifeslittlemysteries.com. November 5, 2012. Web. April 3, 2013. From Nobel Lectures, Physics 1901-1921, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1967(published on Nobelprize.org) Brian, Denis. Einstein: A Life. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Print.