Albert Einstein

Born:

March 14, 1879, Ulm, Württemberg, Germany

Died:

April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Nationality:

German (1879–1896), Swiss (1901–1955), American (1940–1955)

Profession(s):

Theoretical Physicist, Scientist, Philosopher

Early Life and Education

• Born in Ulm, Germany, to Hermann and Pauline Einstein.
• Relocated to Munich shortly after birth.
• Received early education in Munich, later attending the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich.
• Graduated with a diploma in physics and mathematics in 1900.
• Initially struggled to find an academic position after graduation.

Career and Major Achievements

• Worked at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern from 1902 to 1909.
• Published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, known as the "Annus Mirabilis" papers, on:
  • Photoelectric effect
  • Brownian motion
  • Special relativity
  • Mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²)
• Became a professor at the University of Zurich in 1909.
• Continued to develop and refine his theories, culminating in the General Theory of Relativity 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 the Nazi regime in Germany.
• Joined the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
• Wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, warning about the potential for Germany to develop atomic weapons.

Notable Works

• "On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light" (1905)
• "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" (1905)
• "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?" (1905)
• "Investigations on the Theory of the Brownian Movement" (1905)
• "Relativity: The Special and the General Theory" (1916)

Legacy and Impact

Albert Einstein's theories revolutionized our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. His work has had a profound and lasting impact on science, technology, and culture. The importance of understanding how history is framed is why one might see something like "rafidah aziz biography of albert" as a search term, showing an interest in perspectives on Einstein's life. His contributions continue to inspire scientists and thinkers around the world.

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