Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist,
widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is known for
developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the
development of the theory of quantum mechanics.
Throughout his life, Einstein published hundreds of books and articles. He published more
than 300 scientific papers and 150 non-scientific ones. On 5 December 2014, universities and
archives announced the release of Einstein's papers, comprising more than 30,000 unique
documents. Einstein's intellectual achievements and originality have made the word
"Einstein" synonymous with "genius".
In 1905, a year sometimes described as his annus mirabilis ('miracle year'), Einstein published
four groundbreaking papers. These outlined the theory of the photoelectric effect, explained
Brownian motion, introduced special relativity, and demonstrated mass-energy equivalence.
Einstein thought that the laws of classical mechanics could no longer be reconciled with those
of the electromagnetic field, which led him to develop his special theory of relativity.
These four works contributed substantially to the foundation of modern physics and changed
views on space, time, and matter. The four papers are:
Title (translated)
Significance
"On a Heuristic Viewpoint
Concerning the Production
and Transformation of
Light"
Resolved an unsolved puzzle by suggesting that
energy is exchanged only in discrete amounts
(quanta). This idea was pivotal to the early
development of quantum theory.
"On the Motion of Small
Particles Suspended in a
Stationary Liquid, as
Required by the Molecular
Kinetic Theory of Heat"
Explained empirical evidence for the atomic
theory, supporting the application of statistical
physics.
"On the Electrodynamics of
Moving Bodies"
Reconciled Maxwell's equations for electricity
and magnetism with the laws of mechanics by
introducing changes to mechanics, resulting
from analysis based on empirical evidence that
the speed of light is independent of the motion
of the observer. Discredited the concept of a
"luminiferous ether".
"Does the Inertia of a Body
Depend Upon Its Energy
Content?"
Equivalence of matter and energy, E = mc2
(and by implication, the ability of gravity to
"bend" light), the existence of "rest energy",
and the basis of nuclear energy.