Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
I.Einstein’s early years II.The Miracle year: 2005 A.The Quantum Nature of Light B.Brownian motion and atomic theory C.Special Relativity 1.Newton and absolute space and time 2.Thought experiments 3.E = mc 2 III.General Relativity IV.Quantum Weirdness V.Einstein’s later years Einstein and 20 th Century Physics
2
I. Albert Einstein (1879- 1955) The Early Years Pauline and Hermann Einstein Mileva Maric (1875 – 1948) Patent clerk (1902 – 1909) 1903 - 1919 Eduard and Hans
3
II. The Miracle Year: 1905 A. The Quantum Nature of Light Michael Faraday (1791 – 1867) James Clerk Maxwell (1831 – 1879) Speed of light = 300, 000 Km/sec (186, 000 mi/sec) Maxwell’s equations the aether returns! the wave nature of light electromagnetism 3 key inventions 3. Transformer 1. Electric motor 2. Electric generator Light is electromagnetic energy The first color photograph Maxwell’s Accomplishments 4 equations describing EM
4
II. The Miracle Year: 1905 A. The Quantum Nature of Light Quantum mechanics Quantum of light = photon
5
II. The Miracle Year: 1905 B. Brownian Motion and Atomic Theory Proof of the existence of atoms
6
II. The Miracle Year: 1905 C.Special Relativity 1.Galileo’s principle of relativity 2.Newton’s space, time, and gravity 3.Experiments to detect the aether 4.Thought experiments Inertial reference frame = constant speed and not changing direction = no acceleration Riding next to a beam of light Twin paradox The Cosmic Speed Limit (300, 000 km/sec) No absolute simultaneity Why special?
7
4. E = mc 2 Energy = mass x the speed of light squared Hadron Super Collider Nuclear Power Plant Implications for travelling at the speed of light (explained by Einstein)explained by Einstein
8
Summary of Special Relativity the speed of light is a constant – it is invariant nothing in the Universe can travel faster than the speed of light space and time are not absolute – they vary according to speed there is no absolute simultaneity E = mc 2 has many implications and applications Special relativity is contrary to Newtonian physics
9
III. General Relativity 1915 “My happiest thought” 2 problems with Special Relativity Confirmation 1.Gravity not dealt with 2.Deals with constant velocities – what about acceleration? Equivalence principle – riding in elevators
10
Mass warps space Black Holes (That’s Gravity!!)Newton and Gravity
11
Big Bang General Relativity Prediction Cosmological constant – “My biggest mistake” Georges Lemaître : 1931 Confirmation singularity 14 billion years ago Edwin Hubble: 1929
12
IV. Quantum Weirdness Uncertainty Principle “God does not play dice” Werner Heisenberg (1901 – 1976) Electron weird behavior Electron behavior unpredictable “Einstein! Stop telling God what to do!” Quantum mechanics Applications of QM
13
V. Einstein’s Later Years Elsa Einstein (1876 – 1936) Einstein’s office in Princeton University Unified Field Theory Four fundamental forces 1.The strong interaction 2.The electromagnetic force 3.The weak force 4.The gravitational force Nobel Prize 1921 Einstein the rock star
14
Einstein’s letter to FDR
15
A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings. Einstein’s God More on Einstein’s God
16
Einstein and Politics Einstein the Zionist
17
Einstein’s legacy
18
Special and General Relativity Explained
19
return
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.