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Albert Einstein

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Albert Einstein was one of the most famous scientists in history.

Albert Einstein at the age of three (1882)
Albert Einstein at the age of three (1882)

He was a physicist who studied how the universe works. He is best known for creating the theory of relativity. This theory changed how we see space, time, and gravity. Einstein also helped people understand quantum theory. This is the study of very tiny things. His work was so important that he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Albert Einstein (Nobel)
Albert Einstein (Nobel)

Einstein's ideas worked by looking at how things connect. In 1905, he wrote a paper about the photoelectric effect. This is when light hits a metal plate and knocks out tiny particles. He also showed that mass and energy are actually the same thing.

Photoelectric effect in a solid - diagram
Photoelectric effect in a solid - diagram

This idea led to his famous equation. Later, in 1915, he proposed his general theory of relativity. This theory explained how gravity works by looking at the structure of the universe. He even wrote about how light can act like particles called photons.

Niels Bohr Albert Einstein4 by Ehrenfest cr
Niels Bohr Albert Einstein4 by Ehrenfest cr

Einstein's journey began in the German Empire.

Albert Einstein as a child
Albert Einstein as a child

He was born in Ulm on 14 March 1879. His parents were Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch. When he was five, his father showed him a compass. This sparked a lifelong interest in how forces work. As a young boy, he was slow to learn how to talk. However, he became a math genius very quickly. By age twelve, he was already studying advanced algebra and geometry.

His education took him to many different places. He moved to Switzerland and enrolled in school in Zurich in 1897.

Albert Einstein's exam of maturity grades (color2)
Albert Einstein's exam of maturity grades (color2)

He studied math and physics at the federal polytechnic school. In 1905, he finished his PhD at the University of Zurich. He later moved to Berlin to work at the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In 1933, he moved to the United States. He stayed there because of the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. He became an American citizen in 1940.

Citizen-Einstein
Citizen-Einstein

We can still see Einstein's name in science today. For example, there is a chemical element called Einsteinium.

Einstein patentoffice full (cropped)
Einstein patentoffice full (cropped)

His work on light helped lead to the invention of the laser. His ideas about the universe are used in modern cosmology. Even though he had many successes, he also had hard times. He tried to find a single theory for everything, but he did not succeed. Still, his name remains a symbol of great thinking. In 1999, Time named him the Person of the Century.

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🖼️ Images & Media (33)
File:Albert Einstein at the age of three (1882).jpg
Albert Einstein at the age of three (1882).jpg
File:Albert Einstein as a child.jpg
Albert Einstein as a child.jpg
File:Albert Einstein's exam of maturity grades (color2).jpg
Albert Einstein's exam of maturity grades...
File:Albert Einstein and his wife Mileva Maric.jpg
Albert Einstein and his wife Mileva Maric.jpg
File:Einstein_Albert_Elsa_LOC_32096u.jpg
Einstein_Albert_Elsa_LOC_32096u.jpg
File:Einstein patentoffice full (cropped).jpg
Einstein patentoffice full (cropped).jpg
File:Einstein thesis.png
Einstein thesis.png
ETH-BIB-Einstein, Albert und Kollegen am...
File:Berliner Physiker u Chemiker 1920.jpg
Berliner Physiker u Chemiker 1920.jpg
File:19191125 A New Physics Based on Einstein - The New York Times.png
19191125 A New Physics Based on Einstein...
File:Albert Einstein (Nobel).png
Albert Einstein (Nobel).png
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