|
|
Subject:
How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
Category: Science > Physics Asked by: garyking-ga List Price: $2.00 |
Posted:
03 Mar 2005 16:51 PST
Expires: 02 Apr 2005 16:51 PST Question ID: 484330 |
How did einstein develop his theory of relativity? Wasn't he just a simple patent clerk? It's not like he was already a university professor while he was working on the theory of relativity, and the photoelectric effect (which lead to his Nobel prize.) |
|
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
Answered By: hedgie-ga on 10 Mar 2005 23:47 PST Rated: |
Greetings Gary It is not quite clear if you are asking about the thought process and intellectual environment (what were then open problems and related work of other physicists) or about his personal circumstances (why was he working in the patent office) so I will give you some references to both. 1) Einstein was not isolated. He had excellent teachers at one of the better colleges. He chose to attack the most fundamental problems open at that time (are atoms real?) and the "two clouds" described by Kelvin in 1900 lecture at Royal Institution of Great Britain. The title of the lecture was Nineteenth-Century Clouds over the Dynamical Theory of Heat and Light. http://www.physics.gla.ac.uk/Physics3/Kelvin_online/clouds.htm Solving the first problem April 1905 Einstein submitted his doctoral thesis "A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions" which was accepted. 2) He was not working as clerk for fun or some some extra spending money. He finished his studies, his fathers company was near bankrupt and he needed a job. He had a hard time getting one. He was already involved with a fellow student, Mileva Maric, with whom he had first child in 1902. His former fellow-student, Marcel Grossmann, told to his influential father : "He (Einstein) is made from the stuff, from which geniuses are made" and Grossman senior pulled some strings and in 1901 Einstein got position at the Bernese patent-office. http://www.italysoft.com/curios/einstein/einstein-biography.php Einstein's early history shows that academia is not always eager to accept exceptional talent. After all, it requires for some professor to recommend and hire someone who ,he knows, will soon, surpass him. This is illustrated by the following story: When Einstein finally in 1911, was made full professor at a university in Prague, the president of the school commented thus on his performance : " We do not really need a genius for this post, just someone who will file results of the students exams on time". Apparently, geniuses are not always easy to work with. Often, they are not the 'team players'. Luckily for us, they are rare :-) There are several good books about his life. This one describes both his life and work: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195204387/002-9875057-6561630 They make interesting reading enjoy Hedgie |
garyking-ga rated this answer: |
|
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: pinkfreud-ga on 03 Mar 2005 16:59 PST |
This might be helpful: http://www.wpo.net/astrotales/einstein2.html |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: xarqi-ga on 03 Mar 2005 23:47 PST |
Einstein studied mathematics, particularly calculus, from at least 1891. By 1900, he was qualified as a teacher of both mathematics and physics. It was the lack of a suitable job offer, and the pulling of strings, that got him his patent office job. His mind was already both equipped, and focussed on mathematical physics. In such an unchallenging environment, he found his own intellectual stimulation. |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: iang-ga on 04 Mar 2005 01:07 PST |
Like any scientist, Einstein was able to build on the work of others - Lorentz and Fitzgerald for instance. His maths teacher, Hermann Minkowsi, described him as a "lazy dog" because he wasn't a very good student, and his lack of knowledge of modern maths probably slowed him down when he was developing General Relativity. Fortunately his friend, Erwin Freundlich, was able to tell him which areas to look into and acted as a sounding board as Einstein was developing his theory. Some people view Frendlich as a collaborator in developing GR, though Freundlich himself always denied it. Ian G. |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: guzzi-ga on 04 Mar 2005 16:52 PST |
Like Maxwell and a good bunch of others, Einstein developed his theory of relativity mainly by thinking very hard. Granted he was better equipped to think than most of us, but apart from flashes of clarity most theory derives from a very little external sign of activity but a lot going on inside. Sometimes in my profession, one is pointedly asked. ?Are you actually doing anything or are you just sitting there with your feet on the desk?? ?Thinking.? ?Oh that?s all right then.? Best |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: wyop2005uc-ga on 05 Mar 2005 18:11 PST |
Einstein was basically just working as a pattent cleark for some extra spending money after finishing up his graduate degree in Bern. In 1905 he remarkably published five papers, providing groundbreaking insight into diverse areas of physics. He received his first faculty position soon afterwords. For more information see : http://www.physics2005.org/ |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: eliteskillsdotcom-ga on 06 Mar 2005 11:44 PST |
Although this is not the theory of relativity, it is an interesting question about the derivation of e=mc^2 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=477866 |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: deeptimer-ga on 09 Mar 2005 15:23 PST |
Einstein developed his theory of relativity by being largely isolated from mainsteam thinkers (and their sociological need to be accepted by their peers and institutions) and by following his own inner intuition and innate brillince. I refer to the difference between being merely an expert, and being a true genius. |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: sarotoka-ga on 31 May 2005 02:16 PDT |
Ha ha... this answers my question. no paying for me. |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: hedgie-ga on 02 Jun 2005 16:02 PDT |
Saratoka, I am pleased that you found my answer useful. Company makes answered question available, as a public resource -- like -- 'giving something back to community' or -- 'betterment of mankind' ... BTW -- which planet are you from? Hedgie |
Subject:
Re: How did einstein develop his theory of relativity?
From: johnman-ga on 07 Jun 2005 18:10 PDT |
Although Einstein was at the top of his class in graduate studies, he had difficulty finding teaching jobs mainly because he had antagonized most of the physics establishment by his attitude. He would openly challenge their cherished theories, skip class ( and still do well), and generally subscribed to a bohemian lifestlyle which the physics establishment frowned upon. After his graduation, he did some private tutoring before landing the job at the patent office. He took that job because it gave him free time to work on his theories. Apparantly he once said, " You should be a little under-employed if you want to do great things in life" abby k |
If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by emailing us at answers-support@google.com with the question ID listed above. Thank you. |
Search Google Answers for |
Google Home - Answers FAQ - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy |