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
- Born in Ulm, Germany to Hermann and Pauline Einstein.
- Received early education at a Catholic elementary school in Munich.
- Later attended the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich.
- Renounced German citizenship at age 16.
- Graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland from 1902 to 1909.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the "Annus Mirabilis" papers:
- On the photoelectric effect (won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921).
- On Brownian motion.
- On special relativity.
- On mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
- Developed the theory of general relativity (published 1915).
- Professor at the University of Berlin (1914-1933).
- Immigrated to the United States in 1933 due to the rise of Nazism in Germany.
- Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton (1933-1955).
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons.
Notable Works
| Work | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" | 1905 | Paper on the photoelectric effect. |
| "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" | 1905 | Paper introducing special relativity. |
| "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" | 1905 | Paper deriving the mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²). |
| "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" | 1916 | Paper outlining the general theory of relativity. |
| Relativity: The Special and the General Theory | 1916 | Popular science book explaining relativity. |
Awards and Recognition
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1921)
- Copley Medal (1925)
- Max Planck Medal (1929)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's work revolutionized our understanding of physics and the universe. His theories of relativity are cornerstones of modern physics, and his work on the photoelectric effect laid the foundation for quantum mechanics. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time. Some publications are even written in the style of "seerat kapoor biography of albert" to highlight the important historical details regarding the scientific mind.