Albert Einstein - Biography, Achievements and Quotes

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). While best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"), he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory.
Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led to the development of his special theory of relativity. He realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published a paper on the general theory of relativity.
 He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the structure of the universe as a whole.
He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, and did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming a citizen in 1940.
On the eve of World War II, he helped alert President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany might be developing an atomic weapon, and recommended that the U.S. begin similar research; this eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project. Einstein was in support of defending the Allied forces, but largely denounced using the new discovery of nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, with the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.
Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works. His great intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.

Achievements & Facts about Albert Einstein

• As a child, Einstein seldom spoke. When he did, he spoke very slowly - indeed, he tried out entire sentences in his head (or muttered them under his breath) until he got them right before he spoke aloud. According to accounts, Einstein did this until he was nine years old. Einstein's parents were fearful that he was retarded - of course, their fear was completely unfounded!
• When Einstein was five years old and ill in bed one day, his father showed him a simple pocket compass. What interested young Einstein was whichever the case was turned, the needle always pointed in the same direction. 
• He thought there must be some force in what was presumed empty space that acted on the compass. This incident, common in many "famous childhoods," was reported persistently in many of the accounts of his life once he gained fame.
• He never loved hair cuts and wearing socks while sailing and violin were his passions. He named his violin Lina.
• After Einstein’s death, his brain was removed from his head without bringing in his family’s knowledge. This immoral act was done by Dr. Thomas Harvey who wanted to conduct a search on his brain. He was later permitted by Einstein’s son Hans Einstein.
• He had a very bad memory and he could not remember dates and phone numbers, in fact he even didn’t knew what his own phone number was.
• Once his mathematics professor called him a lazy dog because he could not find Einstein’s interest in studies.
• He was inspired by a compass which was gifted to him by his father while he was sick at age of 5. It was the start of his interest in science.
• In 1952, he was offered the presidency of Israel but he politely refused the offer.
• While working in the patent office during 1905, Albert Einstein published some of his important works in a German physics journal called Annalen der Physik. He put forth the idea of the particulate nature of light. It was during the same period of time that he published a paper, On the Electrodynamics of Moving Objects. 
• The same year, in his paper on the equivalence of mass and energy, he proposed that mass can be converted into an equivalent amount of energy based on the equation, E=mc2. 
• These accomplishments of his, are regarded as some of the greatest works in science. You might want to look at the other major accomplishments of Albert Einstein.
• In his paper on Critical Opalescence, written in 1910, Einstein discussed the effect of light scattered by different molecules in the atmosphere. In his 1909 paper, he introduced the concept of photons by suggesting that energy quanta have defined momentums and are point-like particles. 
• In 1911, when he was a professor at the Charles University of Prague, Einstein published his work on the effects of gravity on light. A solar eclipse that occurred a few years later, proved his proposition that light bends in the vicinity of a massive stellar object like the Sun.
•  In 1915, Einstein came up with the Theory of Relativity, which is in use till date.
• Albert Einstein is the proud winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his notable contribution to physics in the discovery of the Law of the Photoelectric Effect. Ironically, he did not receive a Nobel Prize for his Theory of Relativity.
• Hungarian-German-American physicist Leo Szilard is said to have convinced Einstein, to write a letter to President Roosevelt, warning him of the possibility of Nazi Germany developing an atomic bomb. This letter is said to have induced the United States to create the atomic bomb.
• Albert Einstein expired on April 18, 1955 at the age of 76. Before cremation, his brain was removed with the view of discovering the secret of Einstein's exceptional intelligence. It was later found that Einstein's brain contained a greater number of glial cells, which are responsible for synthesis of information. It was also discovered that Einstein had a dense brain and a relatively large parietal lobe, which is associated with mathematical skills.
• He was indeed a gifted human being. His death meant the loss of an extraordinary talent. He is held in high esteem throughout the scientific community of the world.
• Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-albert-einstein.html
• Almost all of his work is remarkable, but he got unimaginable fame when his paper on mass-energy equivalence was published.
• He used to charge people for his autographed and donate all this money to charity.
• In 1951, while leaving a party with his friends, he was rushed by a photographer who asked him to smile for a photograph. But Einstein who was already tired, just stuck his tongue out instead of a smile. The photographer luckily captured this memorable moment.

Einstein’s Theories

Einstein’s initial big idea, special relativity, involved two major hypotheses:

1. The laws of physics are the same everywhere. So on Earth we deal with the same laws of light and gravity as something, or someone, way out in the universe. It’s all relative, you might say.

2. The speed of light is a constant.

A whole lot of modern physics — and many discoveries — stemmed from these ideas. Einstein figured out that the faster an object moves, the more massive it becomes. That means that, in theory, no object can ever reach 100 percent of the speed of light because its mass would become infinite. This relationship is expressed in the equation E=mc^2, where E is energy, m is mass and c is the speed of light.

In 1916, Einstein published the general theory of relativity, which held that acceleration distorts the shape of time and space. In a nutshell, space and time are curved near a massive object — the fabric of space-time is distorted. Modern observations support this theory

Superb Quotes of Albert Einstein

• Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
• I believe that whatever we do or live for has its causality; it is good, however, that we cannot see through to it.
• The really good music, whether of the East or of the West, cannot be analyzed.
• To punish me for my contempt of authority, Fate has made me an authority myself.
• I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.
• Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. You cannot subjugate a nation forcibly unless you wipe out every man, woman, and child. Unless you wish to use such drastic measures, you must find a way of settling your disputes without resort to arms.
• Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
• "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
• "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
• "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
• "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
• "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
• "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
• "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
• "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
• "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
• "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
• "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
• "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
• "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
• "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
• "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
• "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
• "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
• "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
• "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
• "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
• "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
• "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
• "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
• "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
• "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
• "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
• "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
• "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
• "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."