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 displayed a keen interest in science and mathematics from a young age.
- He renounced his German citizenship in 1896.
- He graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in 1900.
- Initially struggled to find academic employment after graduation.
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" (miracle year).
- Developed the theory of special relativity, revolutionizing our understanding of space, time, mass, and energy.
- Formulated the famous equation E=mc², demonstrating the equivalence of mass and energy.
- Developed the theory of general relativity (published 1915), a geometric theory of gravitation.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Immigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution and accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, alerting him to the potential of nuclear weapons.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905)
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905)
- "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
- "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized physics and profoundly impacted our understanding of the universe. His work laid the foundation for numerous technological advancements, including the development of nuclear energy and the atomic clock. He is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century.
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