Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany
- Died:
- April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (until 1896), Swiss (1901-1955), American (1940-1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Born in Ulm, Germany to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
- Family moved to Munich shortly after his birth.
- Early education included Catholic elementary school and Luitpold Gymnasium.
- Renounced German citizenship in 1896.
- Attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, graduating in 1900 with a diploma in physics.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, often referred to as the "Annus Mirabilis" papers, covering Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect, special relativity, and mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²).
- Became professor at the University of Zurich (1909), Charles University in Prague (1911), and ETH Zurich (1912).
- Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in Berlin (1914).
- Published his theory of general relativity in 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 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 contributed to the creation of the Manhattan Project.
Notable Works
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) - Introduces Special Relativity
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) - Introduces Mass-Energy Equivalence (E=mc²)
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916) - Introduces General Relativity
- Relativity: The Special and the General Theory (1916, popular science book)
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. His theories and discoveries have had a profound impact on physics, technology, and our understanding of the cosmos. He remains one of the most influential and recognizable scientists of all time. The legacy of Einstein is often explored, even in works like a hypothetical 'professor ali mazrui biography of albert einstein', highlighting his enduring significance.