1. Albert
Einstein
(1879-1955)
"My life is a simple thing that
would interest no one,"
Why was he a
genius?
• Had strong beliefs
about the world
• Recognized simple
truths
• Followed those truths
2.
3.
4.
5. 1879 (March 14) Born in Ulm,
Germany, to Hermann Einstein
and Pauline Koch
1880 Einsteins move to Munich.
6. 1881 Sister Maja born
1884 Around this time, Albert
receives his first compass which
began his quest to investigate
the natural world.
1888 Enters Luitpold school in
Munich.
1889 At age 10, Albert starts a
program of self education in
science.
1891 “At the age of 12 I experienced a wonder in a
booklet dealing with Euclidean plane geometry that
came into my hands at the beginning of a school year.
Here were assertions, as for example the intersection of
the three altitudes of a triangle in one point which -
though by no means evident- could never-the-less be
proved with such certainly that any doubt appeared to
be out of the question. This lucidity and certainty made
7. 1895 Rejoins family in Pavia, tries to skip high school
by taking the entrance exam to the Swiss
Polytechnic, a top technical university, but he fails
the arts portion. His family sends him to the Swiss
town of Aarau where he finishes high school at
age 17.
1894 Family moves to
Italy, Albert stays at
Luitpold for one term.
8. "It is almost a miracle that modern teaching methods have
not yet entirely strangled the holy curiousity of inquiry; for
what this delicate little plant needs more than anything,
besides stimulation, is freedom."
1896 Renounces German citizenship. Gets diploma
from Aarau, enrolls at ETH (Federal Institute of
Technology) in Zurich.
9. "School-Leaving" Certificate
from Aargau Kantonsschule
October 3, 1896
Einstein was a strong student
in math and physics, but he
was less fond of languages, as
seen by his final grades. The
highest mark possible was a
"6." This certificate enabled
Einstein to enroll in the Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology
at the age of 17.
10. Translation:
The Board of Education of the Canton Aargau hereby certifies that Mr. Albert
Einstein of Ulm, born on March 14, 1879, attended the Aargau Kantonsschule,
namely the III and IV classes of the vocational school. After taking the written and
oral school-leaving examination held on September 18, 19, 21 and 30, 1896, he
received the following marks:
Based on these marks, the above is granted the school-leaving certificate,
Aarau, October 3, 1896.
German
5 French
3 English
–
Italian 5
History 6
Geography 4
Algebra 6
Geometry 6
Descriptive Geometry
6 Physics
6 Chemistry
5 Natural
History 5 Artistic
Drawing 4
Technical Drawing 4
Depending on how the
English grade enters, he had
a GPA on the 4.0 system of
3.1 – 3.3
Not that
great!!
11. 1898 Albert falls in love
with Mileva Maric, a
Hungarian classmate at the
ETH.
1900 Gets diploma from
ETH.
1901 Unemployed, he
becomes Swiss citizen. He
and Mileva meet in
northern Italy for some
hanky-panky. Mileva
becomes pregnant. In the
fall, Albert finds work in
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
as
a tutor. Mileva moves to Stein Am Rhein, three miles
upriver. Mileva then moves to Hungary to give birth to
their baby at her parent's home. Albert moves to Bern.
12. 1902 In January, Mileva
gives birth to their
daughter, Lieserl, whom
they eventually put up
for adoption. She
reportedly becomes ill
and then all record of her
disappears.
Albert takes a job at the Swiss Patent Office.
Hermann Einstein becomes ill and dies.
13. 1903 Marries Mileva Maric
1904 Mileva gives birth to their
first of two sons, Hans Albert.
14. In the “Miracle Year” of 1905, Einstein sent 4
papers to Annalen der Physik, the leading German
physics journal.
These four papers changed the
15. “On a heuristic point of view concerning the
production and transformation of light.”
Light can act as though it is a discrete parcel of energy
Contradicts the accepted theory that light consists of
smoothly oscillating electromagnetic waves
Light “quanta” could explain phenomena being studied by
experimental physicists such as the Photoelectric Effect
He won the Nobel prize in 1921 for this
work
Über einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des
Lichtes betreffenden heuristishen Gesichtspunkt
22. “On a movement of small particles in stationary
liquids required by the molecular-kinetic theory
of heat”
Combined kinetic theory and fluid dynamics to show
conclusively that the observed erratic motion of particles
suspended in a liquid, “Brownian motion”, were caused
by the bombardment of invisible molecules of the liquid.
Obtained a formula for their diffusion rate.
Extended this in his doctoral dissertation (also 1905)
which shows how to calculate Avogadro's number and
hence the sizes of molecules.
Jean Perrin was awarded the Nobel prize for the
experimental verification of this theory.
Die von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der
Wärme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden
Flüssigkeiten
23.
24.
25.
26. “On the electrodynamics of moving
bodies”
Physical measurements of mechanical systems are
identical whether in a fixed laboratory or in one moving
with constant velocity (principle of relativity).
Maxwell's theory of electromagnetic waves: Light should
violate this due to motion in the “ether”. But several
ingenious experiments could see no result.
A very careful analysis shows that the principle of
relativity still applies. This is now known as the Special
Theory of Relativity
Completely changed the way we think about space and
time and eventually revolutionized our understanding of
cosmology.
Elektrodynamic bewegter Körper
27.
28. l =c0t0
L = ct
d = vt
Einstein’s genius: c0 = c
independent of v !!!
31. l =c0t0
L = ct
d = vt
2
1
2
2
0
2
2
2
0
2
2
0
2
2
2
2
0
2
2
2
2
2
0
2
2
2
2
2
2
0
2
2
2
2
0
2
1
1
1
1
1
)
(
)
(
)
(
)
(
)
(
)
(
c
v
t
t
c
v
t
t
t
c
v
t
t
t
c
v
t
t
c
t
v
t
c
ct
vt
ct
vt
ct
ct
l =ct0
32.
1
2
0 2
1
2 2
1
1
0
1
;
1
t t
v
c
t t
The Lorentz
contraction!!
c = constant for any constant velocity
reference frame (including v=0)
33. Some consequences of Special
Relativity:
The length of an object decreases as its speed
increases
Clocks passing by you run more slowly than do
clocks at rest
An object approaching the speed of light
becomes infinitely massive.
Concept of Spacetime
34. “Does the inertia of a body depend on its energy
content?”
The Special Theory of Relativity is linked to Maxwell's equations
Surprizing conclusion: If a body emits energy in the form of
radiation then its mass must be reduced by a proportional
amount.
Ist die Trägheit eines Körpers von seinem Energieeinhalt abhäng
36. 4mp = 4 (1.674 x 10-27) = 6.696 x 10-27 kg
mHe = 6.643 x 10-27 kg
Dm = 0.053 x 10-27 kg
DE = (0.053 x 10-27 )(9 x 1016) = 4.77 x 10-12 Joules
This is the power of the Sun!
37. 1906 Still living in Bern, Einstein continues as an Examiner at
the Swiss Patent Office
1907 -Planckshe Theorie der Strahlung und die Theorie der
spezifische Wärme, quantum theory for solids (specific heats).
-Relativitätsprinzip und die aus demselben gezogenen
Folgerungen, the principle of general relativity--gravitation is
equivalent to acceleration.
1909 Becomes associate professor at University of Zurich.
Further work on quantum theory.
1910 Son Eduard is born.
1911 Becomes full professor at Karl-Ferdinand University in
Prague.
Predicts bending of starlight at eclipses (but gets the
magnitude wrong).
1912 Becomes professor at the ETH in Zurich.
1914 Becomes professor at University of Berlin. Separates
from Mileva and sons.
38. Outbreak of First World War.
1915 Cosigns "Manifesto to Europeans" separating himself
from German militarism.
-Feldgleichungen der Gravitation, the general relativity
equations.
1916 Becomes president of the German Physical Society.
-Quantentheorie der Strahlung, derives momentum carried
by light quanta; a 1917 paper with the same title explains
stimulated emission. Die Grundlage der allgemeinen
Relativitätstheorie, book laying out the general theory of
relativity.
Behind the Scenes:
"Grossmann, you've got to help me, or I'll
go crazy," Einstein wrote to his good
friend Marcel Grossmann when General
Relativity hit a mathematical roadblock.
Grossmann had twice before come to the
rescue; this time he identified the
mathematics Einstein needed to complete
39. The Metric = ds2
A measure of
distance in a
spacetime
For a flat spacetime
it is given simply by
the Pythagorean
Theorem:
ds2 = dx2 + dy2
ds
dx
dy
B
A
A useful tool:
x
y
40. ds2 = something more
complicated!
LIKE:
~ (dx2 + dy2)
1
r
ds2 = dx2 + dy2 + …
41.
sinh
sin
)
(
cos
1
sin
)
( 2
2
2
2
2
2
u
cT
R
T
t
d
u
d
d
R
ds
o
o
Robertson – Walker Metric:
42. 1917 Becomes director of Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute (which
supports research in Germany).
-Kosmologische Betrachtungen zur allgemeinen
Relativitätstheorie, cosmology equations with the "cosmological
parameter term" to stop the universe from expanding.
1918 End of First World War; revolution in Germany.
1919 Divorced from Mileva. Marries his cousin Elsa Einstein
Löwenthal (1876-1936). Her adult daughters by a previous
marriage, Ilse (1897-1934) and Margot (1899-1986), had already
legally taken the name Einstein.
Bending of light near sun observed at
eclipse.
43. • Mass warps space resulting in light
traveling in curved paths Actual Position
Apparent
Position
44. Isaac Newton's 17th-
century description of
gravity became obsolete
as the clouds parted on
May 29, 1919, and the
Sun and Moon aligned in
an eclipse. Images of
known stars confirmed
what Einstein's "General
Theory of Relativity"
predicted: the Sun's
gravity acts like a lens and
deflects light from distant
stars, making them
appear in new locations.
May 29, 1919 Solar eclipse turns Einstein into an international
hero.
The 1919 eclipse. The green lines on the
bottom right-hand corner of the image
mark the positions of the stars which
were used to test the theory of general
45. One of the stars from the
1919 eclipse observation.
The image has been
magnified 281 times. The
small red line on the right
shows the size of the shift
in the star's apparent
position.
The press reaction was extraordinary. Einstein was
immediately propelled onto the front pages of the world’s
media and, almost overnight, became a household name.
46. Is General Relativity right?
The orbit of Mercury is explained by
Relativity better than Kepler’s laws
Light is measurably deflected by the
Sun’s gravitational curving of spacetime.
Extremely accurate clocks run more
slowly when being flown in airplanes
Some stars have spectra that have been
gravitationally redshifted.
47. The Royal Swedish Academy
of Sciences has at its
meeting on November 9,
1922, according to the
directions in the by Alfred
Nobel drawn up will from
November 27, 1895, decided
to-independent of the
value, which after possible
confirmation may be
attributed to the theories of
relativity and gravitation-
present the prize, which for
1921 is awarded to the
person who within the study
of physics has made the
most important discovery or
invention to
Albert Einstein
for his services to
Theoretical Physics, and
especially for his
discovery of the law of
the photoelectric effect.
1921 First visit to United States.
1922 Works on unified field theory. Visits Far East.
Awarded Nobel Prize in physics
48. 1924 Inauguration of Einstein Institute with "Einstein Tower" in
Potsdam.
-Quantentheorie des einigatomigen idealen Gases, the "Bose-
Einstein" quantum theory of statistical fluctuations.
1927 Begins dialogue on quantum theory interpretation with
Niels Bohr at the fifth Solvay Congress.
1929-Einheitliche Feldtheorie, widely publicized attempt to
unify gravitational and electromagnetic field theories.
1930 Extended visit to United States, chiefly at the California
Institute of Technology.
1932 Appointed professor at Institute for Advanced Study,
Princeton, intending to divide time between there and Berlin.
1933 Nazis come to power in Germany; Einstein settles in US.
49. 1935 -Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be
considered complete? (with B. Podolsky and N. Rosen), continuing
the debate over interpretation.
1936 Death of Elsa.
1939 Outbreak of Second World War; Einstein signs letter to
President Roosevelt warning of possibility of atomic bombs.
1940 Becomes citizen of United States (retaining Swiss
citizenship).
1945 Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; end of Second
World War.
1946 Serves as chairman of Emergency Committee of Atomic
Scientists.
1948 -Generalized theory of gravitation, an example of continuing
attempts to find a more universal mathematical approach to field
1935 -Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be
considered complete? (with B. Podolsky and N. Rosen), continuing
the debate over interpretation.
1936 Death of Elsa.
1939 Outbreak of Second World War; Einstein signs letter to
President Roosevelt warning of possibility of atomic bombs.
1940 Becomes citizen of United States (retaining Swiss
citizenship).
1945 Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; end of Second
World War.
1946 Serves as chairman of Emergency Committee of Atomic
Scientists.
1948 -Generalized theory of gravitation, an example of continuing
attempts to find a more universal mathematical approach to field
1935 -Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be
considered complete? (with B. Podolsky and N. Rosen), continuing
the debate over interpretation.
1936 Death of Elsa.
1939 Outbreak of Second World War; Einstein signs letter to
President Roosevelt warning of possibility of atomic bombs.
1940 Becomes citizen of United States (retaining Swiss
citizenship).
1945 Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; end of Second
World War.
1946 Serves as chairman of Emergency Committee of Atomic
Scientists.
1948 -Generalized theory of gravitation, an example of continuing
attempts to find a more universal mathematical approach to field
51. 1
8
2
R g R T
The Einstein Field
Equations:
Geometry = Physics
Stress-
Energy
tensor
Metric
tensor
Ricci
scalar
Ricci tensor
8
G T
53. Karl Schwarzschild (a briliant physicist) volunteered for military
service during world war I. He served in Belgium, France, and
finally Russia. While in Russia in 1915, he wrote two papers on
Einstein's relativity theory and one on Planck's quantum
theory.
Schwarzschild's relativity papers
give the first exact solution of
Einstein's general gravitational
equations, giving an
understanding of the geometry
of space near a point mass. He
sent the first paper to Einstein
who replied:-
“I had not expected that
one could formulate the
exact solution of the
54. 00
00
00
2
1
T
R
g
R
The simplest example
2 2
2 2
1
1 (2 / )
2 2 2 2
sin
m
r
dr
ds dt
m r
r d d
What happens for r = 0 and r = 2m?
Has solution (the Schwarzschild
metric):
55. r = 0
2
2 2
1 ...
m
r
ds dt
It’s singular… (singularity …)
Both Einstein and Schwartzschild
didn’t believe the black hole solution
had anything to do with reality.
r = 2m
...
)
/
2
(
1
2
...
2
r
m
dr
ds
0
2
m
A Black Hole
The Big Bang
