Albert Einstein
- Born:
- 14 March 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
- Died:
- 18 April 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (until 1896), Stateless (1896–1901), Swiss (1901–1955), German (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Einstein showed a great curiosity about nature and a late development in speech.
- He renounced his German citizenship in 1896.
- He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900 with a diploma in physics.
- He obtained a PhD from the University of Zurich in 1905.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the "Annus Mirabilis papers," on Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
- Became a professor at the University of Zurich in 1909.
- Developed the general theory of relativity between 1907 and 1915.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 due to the rise of Nazism in Germany and joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 urging the U.S. to pursue atomic weapons research due to concerns about Germany's potential development.
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.
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916) - Introduced General Relativity.
- Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (1916) - A popular book explaining relativity.
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and one of the greatest physicists of all time. His theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. The impact of his work continues to be felt in various fields, including physics, cosmology, and technology. Examining a work like the shena gamat biography of albert einstein provides further insight into his profound influence.