In praise of Einstein

I posted this in the meeting room, but I thought the lounge lizards could use a little Einstein-lovin'...

The new (September) edition of Discover Magazine is devoted to Albert Einstein, in honor of the upcoming 100 year anniversary of his annus mirabilis.

In 1905, a German patent clerk in Switzerland wrote four papers. Every one of them was worthy of a Nobel prize. The first described how light was both particle and wave, and paved the way for quantum physics. The second proved the existence of atoms (by explaining Brownian motion), which was a controversial topic at the time. The third was the theory of Special Relativity. The fourth was the idea that matter and energy were the same - the most famous formula in history: e=mc(2). His Nobel was for the first - probably his least significant idea of that year.

Never in the history of science have so many ideas come from one person in such a short period of time. It's unlikely it will ever happen again.

Eleven years later, he published his general theory of relativity, which came about because he himself tried to REJECT his own theory of special relativity while all other physicists tried to expand it. Einstein realized that tinkering around the edges wouldn't work - he needed to rethink the whole idea. Both theories have been proven time and time again, in testament to the beauty of the scientific method.

He himself had about 20 patents, but he's not known as an inventor. But his ideas led to countless amenities we hold dear today, including the smoke alarm, GPS systems, modern asphalt, many pharmaceuticals, and of course nuclear power and bombs. He became a pacifist.

Please go out and buy this magazine, skeptic and true-believer both. Einstein was the first (and perhaps only) science media star. When his General Theory was proved by measuring the bending of starlight around the sun, the New York Times headline was:

Lights All Askew in the Heavens
Men of Science More or Less Agog Over Results of Eclipse Observations
Einstein's Theory Triumphs

Give it up for Al. An amazing pacifist, humanist, and the greatest scientist in history.

at least PRETEND you care about this shit.

himself thought that Gandhi was a miracle worker compared to him.I dispute this.Einstein's ideas, as you say, remain unsurpassed.The two towering figures in some ways complement each other and, I believe, that Einstein's enormous affection and respect for Gandhi may have had a hand in his becoming a pacifist.

Bill Shirer,in his book on Gandhi, talks about his meetings with Gandhi and Einstein and says that although he witnessed Hitler's rise and fall the impact of these two gentlemen on history would be more profound.

The most amazing part of relativity is that someone even came up with the idea. I certainly don't understand it very well, but I have read about it in popular science books and in articles that cite empirical evidence that validate Einstein's ideas. The most amazing part of Einstein's achievement is that he managed to think of something that is counterintuitive and seems to defy the logic of our surroundings. I will go out and buy Discover Magazine in another vain attempt to understand more about relativity.

What's Al done for me lately, huh?

:evilgrin: