Albert Einstein
- Born:
- March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, German Empire
- Died:
- April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Nationality:
- German (1879–1896), Stateless (1896–1901), Swiss (1901–1955), German (1914–1918), American (1940–1955)
- Profession(s):
- Theoretical Physicist
Early Life and Education
- Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Koch.
- Moved to Munich shortly after birth.
- Received early education in Munich, demonstrating a strong aptitude for mathematics and physics, despite some initial difficulties with language.
- Renounced German citizenship in 1896.
- Attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, graduating in 1900.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland, from 1902 to 1909.
- Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as his "Annus Mirabilis" (miracle year). These covered:
- Photoelectric effect
- Brownian motion
- Special relativity
- Mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²)
- Became a professor at the University of Zurich, later at the German University in Prague, and finally back at the ETH Zurich.
- Developed the general theory of relativity, published in 1915.
- Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
- Emigrated to the United States in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution.
- Joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
- Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning of the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons.
Notable Works
- "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905) - Photoelectric effect
- "On the Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat" (1905) - Brownian motion
- "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905) - Special relativity
- "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905) - Mass-energy equivalence
- "The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity" (1916) - General relativity
- Numerous other scientific papers and books on relativity, quantum mechanics, and cosmology.
Legacy and Impact
Albert Einstein's work revolutionized physics, transforming our understanding of gravity, space, time, and the universe. He remains one of the most influential scientists of all time, and his theories continue to be fundamental to modern physics and technology. The exploration of 'rafidah aziz biography of albert' further cements the importance of understanding the details of his life and contributions.