HPAVC/HPAVC CD-ROM.iso/HOMEWORK.ZIP/1136.TXT

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Essay Name       : 1136.txt
Uploader         :
Email Address    : [e-mail]
Language         : english
Subject          : Art
Title            : Einstein
Grade            : 81
School System    : college
Country          : usa
Author Comments  : ...
Teacher Comments : none
Date             : 15/20/94
Site found at    : websurfing
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Of all the scientists to emerge from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries there is one whose name is known by
almost all living people. While most of these do not understand this man's work, everyone knows that its impact
on the world of science is astonishing. Yes, many have heard of Albert Einstein's General Theory of relativity,
but few know about the intriguing life that led this scientist to discover what some have called, "The greatest
single achievement of human thought."

Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1874. Before his first birthday, his family had moved to Munich
where young Albert's father, Hermann Einstein, and uncle set up a small electro-chemical business. He was
fortunate to have an excellent family with which he held a strong relationship. Albert's mother, Pauline Einstein,
had an intense passion for music and literature, and it was she that first introduced her son to the violin in which
he found much joy and relaxation. Also, he was very close with his younger sister, Maja, and they could often
be found in the lakes that were scattered about the countryside near Munich.

As a child, Einstein's sense of curiosity had already begun to stir. A favorite toy of his was his father's compass,
and he often marvelled at his uncle's explanations of algebra. Although young Albert was intrigued by certain
mysteries of science, he was considered a slow learner. His failure to become fluent in German until the age of
nine even led some teachers to believe he was disabled.

Einstein's post-basic education began at the Luitpold Gymnasium when he was ten. It was here that he first
encountered the German spirit through the school's strict disciplinary policy. His disapproval of this method of
teaching led to his reputation as a rebel. It was probably these differences that caused Einstein to search for
knowledge at home. He began not with science, but with religion. He avidly studied the Bible seeking truth, but
this religious fervor soon died down when he discovered the intrigue of science and math. To him, these seemed
much more realistic than ancient stories. With this new knowledge he disliked class even more, and was
eventually expelled from Luitpold Gymnasium being considered a disruptive influence.

Feeling that he could no longer deal with the German mentality, Einstein moved to Switzerland where he
continued his education. At sixteen he attempted to enroll at the Federal Institute of Technology but failed the
entrance exam. This forced him to study locally for one year until he finally passed the school's evaluation. The
Institute allowed Einstein to meet many other students that shared his curiosity, and It was here that his studies
turned mainly to Physics. He quickly learned that while physicists had generally agreed on major principals in
the past, there were modern scientists who were attempting to disprove outdated theories. Since most of
Einstein's teachers ignored these new ideas, he was again forced to explore on his own. In 1900 he graduated
from the Institute and then achieved citizenship to Switzerland.

Einstein became a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in 1902. This job had little to do with physics, but he was able
to satiate his curiosity by figuring out how new inventions worked. The most important part of Einstein's
occupation was that it allowed him enough time to pursue his own line of research. As his ideas began to
develop, he published them in specialist journals. Though he was still unknown to the scientific world, he began
to attract a large circle of friends and admirers. A group of students that he tutored quickly transformed into a
social club that shared a love of nature, music, and of course, science. In 1903 he married Mileva Meric, a
mathematician friend.

In 1905, Einstein published five separate papers in a journal, the Annals of Physics. The first was immediately
acknowledged, and the University of Zurich awarded Einstein an additional degree. The other papers helped to
develop modern physics and earned him the reputation of an artist. Many scientists have said that Einstein's
work contained an imaginative spirit that was seen in most poetry. His work at this time dealt with molecules, and
how their motion affected temperature, but he is most well known for his Special Theory of Relativity which
tackled motion and the speed of light. Perhaps the most important part of his discoveries was the equation: E=
mc2.

After publishing these theories Einstein was promoted at his office. He remained at the Patents Office for another
two years, but his name was becoming too big among the scientific community. In 1908, Einstein began teaching
party time at the University of Berne, and the following year, at the age of thirty, he became employed full time
by Zurich University. Einstein was now able to move to Prague with his wife and two sons, Hans Albert and
Eduard. Finally, after being promoted to a professor, Einstein and his family were able to enjoy a good standard
of living, but the job's main advantage was that it allowed Einstein to access an enormous library. It was here
that he extended his theory and discussed it with the leading scientists of Europe. In 1912 he chose to accept a
job placing him in high authority at the Federal Institute of Technology, where he had originally studied. It was
not until 1914 that Einstein was tempted to return to Germany to become research director of the Kaiser Wilhelm
Institute for Physics.

World War I had a strong effect on Einstein. While the rest of Germany supported the army, he felt the war was
unnecessary, and disgusting. The new weapons of war which attempted to mass slaughter people caused him to
devote much of his life toward creating peace. Toward the end of the war Einstein joined a political party that
worked to end the war, and return peace to Europe. In 1916 this party was outlawed by the government, and
Einstein was seen as a traitor.

In that same year, Einstein published his General Theory of relativity, This result of ten years work
revolutionized physics. It basically stated that the universe had to be thought of as curved, and told how light
was affected by this. The next year, Einstein published another paper that added that the universe had no
boundary, but actually twisted back on its self.

After the war, many aspects of Einstein's life changed. He divorced his wife, who had been living in Zurich with
the children throughout the war, and married his cousin Elsa Lowenthal. This led to a renewed interest in his
Jewish roots, and he became an active supporter of Zionism. Since anti-Semitism was growing in Germany, he
quickly became the target of prejudice. There were many rumors about groups who were trying to kill Einstein,
and he began to travel extensively. The biggest change, though, was in 1919 when scientist who studied an
eclipse confirmed that his theories were correct.

In 1921, he traveled through Britain and the United States raising funds for Zionism and lecturing about his
theories. He also visited the battle sites of the war, and urged that Europe renew scientific and cultural links. He
promoted non-patriotic, non-competitive education, believing that it would prevent war from happening in the
future. He also believed that socialism would help the world achieve peace.

Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922. He gave all the money to his ex-wife and children to help
with their lives and education. After another lecture tour, he visited Palestine for the opening the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. He also talked about the possibilities that Palestine held for the Jewish people. Upon his
return he began to enjoy a calmer life in which he returned to his original curiosity, religion.

While Einstein was visiting America in 1933 the Nazi party came to power in Germany. Again he was subject to
anti-Semitic attacks, but this time his house was broken into, and he was publicly considered an enemy of the
nation. It was obvious that he could not return to Germany, and for the second time he renounced his German
citizenship. During these early years in America he did some research at Princeton, but did not accomplish much
of significance.

In 1939 the second World War began to take form. There was heated argument during this time over whether the
United States should explore the idea of an atomic bomb. Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt warning him of
the disaster that could occur if the Nazi's developed it first. Einstein did not participate in the development of the
bomb, but the idea did stem from his equation E=mc2. Just as he knew that the bomb was under development, he
also knew when it was going to be used. Just before the bomb was dropped on Japan Einstein wrote a letter to
the President begging him not to use this terrible weapon.

The rest of Einstein's life was dedicated to promoting peace. After the war ended, he declared, "The war is won,
but the peace is not." He wrote many articles and made many speeches calling for a world government. His fame,
at this point, was legendary. People from all over would write to him for advice, and he would often answer them.
He also continued his scientific research until the day he died. This was on April 18, 1955. There is no doubt that
he was dissatisfied that he never was able to find the true meaning of existence that he strove for all his life.
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