Albert Einstein: His Life

Albert Einstein: His Life

1879-1955

•Born 1879 in Germany to a middle class Jewish family.

•At the age of 15, Einstein quit high school.

•Later entered the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

•Einstein graduated from Zurich Polytechnic in 1900.

•While in school, he met and fell in love with Mileva

•1902 - They had a daughter

•1902 marries Mileva

•They had two sons

•Hans Albert, becomes an engineer and professor

•Eduard, had schizophrenia

•They divorced in 1919

• At 26, Einstein wrote three fundamental physics papers

1. The Photoelectric Effect

2. Brownian Motion and Atoms

3. Special Relativity, E= mc2

"A storm broke loose in my mind."

The Photoelectric Effect

Brownian Motion and Atoms"... The physical theory of Brownian motion ended the skepticism about the existence of atoms and molecules as actual physical entities."

•Realized Brownian Motion was caused by movement of molecules

•His work helped prove the existence of the atom

Special Relativity: Twin Paradox

• Speed of light is constant.

• Time and distance are able to change.

Special Relativity: E = m c2

•The speed of light is constant

•A huge amount of energy can be produced from a small amount of mass

•In 1909, he became an assistant professor at the University of Zurich.

•In 1914 Einstein moved to Berlin and became a professor at the University of Berlin.

•1915- completed his General Theory of Relativity

•From 1916-1925, Einstein worked on research that aided in the invention of the laser.

•1919 an eclipse helped prove his theory of general relativity which led to his worldwide fame

Einstein’s Second Wife

• In 1919, Einstein left his wife and children and married his distant cousin, Elsa.

•In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with the Photoelectric Effect.

•1932 appointed professor at Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton

•1933 Nazis come to power in Germany

•Einstein moves to Princeton, NJ

•1939 - Writes letter of Pres. Roosevelt warning of possibility of German atomic bomb

•1945 – bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

“FATHER OF ATOMIC ENERGY”

Einstein: The Pacifist•Fearing use of the atomic bomb again, he used his fame to speak out in support of worldwide peace

•On April 18, 1955 he died in Princeton, New Jersey.

•For the last thirty years of his life, Einstein worked on finding a unified field theory.

•Scientists are still working to find the unified field theory today.