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), German (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Einstein showed a great curiosity from a young age.
- He initially struggled with formal education, particularly rigid teaching methods.
- He renounced his German citizenship at age 16.
- He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland (1902-1909).
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, often referred to as his "Annus Mirabilis" papers.
- Developed the theory of relativity, revolutionizing our understanding of gravity, space, and time.
- Formulated the mass-energy equivalence equation, E=mc².
- Won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Served as Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi Germany and became a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons, which influenced the establishment of the Manhattan Project.
Notable Works
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905)
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) (Special Relativity)
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) (E=mc²)
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
- "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century and one of the greatest physicists of all time. His theories of relativity reshaped our understanding of the universe, and his work continues to inspire scientific inquiry and technological advancements. Works like 'petah coyne biography of albert einstein' delve into the extraordinary life and mind of this iconic figure.