Einstein Centenary Year: A glimpse into the life of the “Person of the century”.
As we bid adieu to the year 2005, we also bid farewell to a year that was celebrated worldwide as the Einstein Centenary Year to mark the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s wonder year, 1905, the year in which Einstein published his three milestone papers. As the man voted the “Person of the 20th century”, the saga of Einstein’s life is one of unparalleled contribution to mankind and science.
It is said that doing easily what others find difficult is talent. But doing what is impossible for talent is genius. And as a man who single handedly revolutionized 20th century physics, Albert Einstein was a man of unparalleled genius who, till this day, 50 years after his death, continues to personify genius. And his famous face immortalized in numerous photographs with his trademark shaggy mane, grizzled features and the world-weary eyes continues to epitomize creative imagination and brilliance of thought.
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm Germany to a family who owned a not-so-successful shop that manufactured electric machinery. But unfortunately, the proverbial morning failed to show the day for this world’s first “intellectual-celebrity”. Einstein did not talk until the age of three. He hated school for its dull, unimaginative regimentation and his teachers and professors returned the favor by not recommending him for a University position. This came as no surprise because while studying in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which he joined after secondary school, he often missed his classes. In fact, he passed his examination and graduated by studying the notes of a classmate. On top of that, Einstein could not find a job in physics upon graduating from college, and had to earn a living as a technical assistant in a Swiss patent office.
Einstein had once said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school.” His own life was a reflection of his words. Though his teachers and professors never thought highly of him due to his apparent lack of interest in class, they failed to see that his brilliantly curious mind could not be bound within the four walls of his classroom. Even as a youth he showed profound curiosity about nature, and an ability to understand difficult mathematical concepts. At the age of twelve, he taught himself Euclidean geometry. If he missed lessons, it was in order to study physics on his own. While working in the Swiss patent office, he used his spare time to work on theoretical physics.
His journey towards becoming the most prominent scientist of the 20th century started with the publication of three papers in 1905. These three papers proved to be the turning point in the development of modern physics. In the first of these papers, Einstein provided a description of molecular motion whose predictions were later confirmed by experiment. The second paper on photoelectric effect contained bold hypothesis concerning the quantum nature of light, which also gave the formula E = hf where E is the energy of radiation, h is the plank’s constant and f is the frequency of the radiation. This proposal changed the century old tradition of considering light energy a continuous process, and earned him the Nobel Prize in 1921.
Einstein’s third major paper in 1905 contained the special theory of relativity. This theory includes two laws that he postulated. First, physical laws are the same in all inertial reference systems and second, that the speed of light in vacuum is a universal constant. Extremely difficult to understand, he once worded his theory of relativity as “When Zurich stop at this train?”
It was on the basis of Einstein’s general theory that the bending of starlight in the vicinity of a massive body (such as the sun) was predicted. When this phenomenon was confirmed during a solar eclipse in 1919, it became a media event and Einstein’s fame spread world wide.
Thus, apart from revolutionizing the 20th century physics, Einstein also opened up many new branches of scientific research. Simulated emission, the underlying process for laser action, was also first proposed by Einstein. It was his logical clarity and creativity that first proposed a theory that would encompass all phenomenon – atomic and cosmic: the Grand Unified Theory. Einstein spent most of his life reexamining traditional scientific assumptions and came up with straightforward conclusions no one had reached. The scientific community as well as mankind will always be indebted to him because he removed the obstacles that were blocking our outlook and limiting us to primitive notions of absolute time and space.
Moreover, it was Einstein that first recognized the equivalence of mass and energy through his E = mc2 formula which has proved to be a valuable guide for exploration of the atomic phenomenon and the idea of atomic energy. His work has demanded reconsideration of science’s most elementary concept and gave widened outlook to classical physics.
But it would be unfair and even ridiculous to claim that his contribution was limited to science. What does science strive for? To widen the horizon and outlook of mankind and subsequently ensure its survival for the future. And this exactly what Einstein dedicated his life to. His work in the first half of the 20th century marked science as well as mankind’s finest hour and in a sense brought about a second renaissance because of his brilliant theories which forced us to reconsider some of our most elementary concepts. At a time of dwindling natural resources and global pollution, Einstein’s E = mc2 formula paved the way for a nuclear powered and a cleaner world.
After 1919, Einstein became internationally renowned. He received numerous honors, awards including the Nobel Prize in 1921. He became an overnight celebrity with photographers and reporters following him everywhere he went. Though he regretted the loss of his privacy, he used his fame to further two causes that were dear to him; Zionism and pacifisms. Even during the First World War, he was one of the few German academics who were willing to publicly decry Germany’s involvement in the war. As a Jewish immigrant, he continued his efforts on behalf of world Zionism throughout his life. His efforts made him the target of vicious attacks by anti-Semitic groups. And because he had first hand experience of the evils of racial prejudice, to him the promotion of understanding among nations was a foremost endeavor. After seeing the horrors of the 2nd World War, Einstein was active in the cause of international disarmament. It was during this phase of his life that he gave the famous answer “I do not know what weapons will be used in the 3rd World War but what I do know is that if there will be a 4th WW, then it will be fought with sticks and stones.”
Due to his continuous and active support of Zionism, the leaders of the state of Israel offered him the presidency of Israel in 1952 which he declined. His modesty, humor and wit was renowned. He left behind any memorable quotes, among them “Coincidence is god’s way of remaining anonymous” and “I want to know God’s thoughts, all rest are just details.” He wrote numerous books, one even with Sigmund Freud called The World as I see It. Others include “about Zionism”, “Why War?” and “Evolution of Physics”.
The famous scientist Neils Bhor once called Einstein the “Prince of Physics”. Indeed, Albert Einstein’s death was a great loss, not only to the scientific community but to the world as a whole. Yet, with his death, Einstein has left behind a legacy that will remain an ever living source of fortitude and encouragement to the world.
– Rishav Bashyal
