Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was born at Ulm, in Wrttemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich, where he later on began his schooling at the Luitpold Gymnasium. Later, they moved to Italy and Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland and in 1896 he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he gained his diploma, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, as he was unable to find a teaching post, he accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor's degree. During his stay at the Patent Office, and in his spare time, he produced much of his remarkable work and in 1908 he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton*. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945. After World War II, Einstein was a leading figure in the World Government Movement, he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Einstein always appeared to have a clear view of the problems of physics and the determination to solve them. He had a strategy of his own and was able to visualize the main stages on the way to his goal. He regarded his major achievements as mere stepping-stones for the next advance. At the start of his scientific work, Einstein realized the inadequacies of Newtonian mechanics and his special theory of relativity stemmed from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. He dealt with classical problems of statistical mechanics and problems in which they were merged with quantum theory: this led to an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules. He investigated the thermal properties of light with a low

radiation density and his observations laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In his early days in Berlin, Einstein postulated that the correct interpretation of the special theory of relativity must also furnish a theory of gravitation and in 1916 he published his paper on the general theory of relativity. During this time he also contributed to the problems of the theory of radiation and statistical mechanics. In the 1920's, Einstein embarked on the construction of unified field theories, although he continued to work on the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory, and he persevered with this work in America. He contributed to statistical mechanics by his development of the quantum theory of a monatomic gas and he has also accomplished valuable work in connection with atomic transition probabilities and relativistic cosmology. After his retirement he continued to work towards the unification of the basic concepts of physics, taking the opposite approach, geometrisation, to the majority of physicists. Einstein's researches are, of course, well chronicled and his more important works include Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English translations, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution of Physics (1938). Among his non-scientific works, About Zionism (1930), Why War? (1933), My Philosophy (1934), and Out of My Later Years (1950) are perhaps the most important. Albert Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. During the 1920's he lectured in Europe, America and the Far East and he was awarded Fellowships or Memberships of all the leading scientific academies throughout the world. He gained numerous awards in recognition of his work, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1925, and the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1935. Einstein's gifts inevitably resulted in his dwelling much in intellectual solitude and, for relaxation, music played an important part in his life. He married Mileva Maric in 1903 and they had a daughter and two sons; their marriage was dissolved in 1919 and in the same year he married his cousin, Elsa Lwenthal, who died in 1936. He died on April 18, 1955 at Princeton, New Jersey.

Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein naci en Ulm, en Wrttemberg, Alemania, el 14 de marzo de 1879. Seis semanas ms tarde la familia se traslad a Munich, donde ms tarde comenz sus estudios en el Gymnasium Luitpold. Ms tarde, se traslad a Italia y Albert continu su educacin en Aarau, Suiza y en 1896 ingres en la Escuela Politcnica Federal Suizo en Zurich para ser entrenado como un profesor de fsica y matemticas. En 1901, ao en que obtuvo su diploma, l adquiri la nacionalidad suiza y, como era incapaz de encontrar un puesto de profesor, l acept una posicin como asistente tcnico en la Oficina Suiza de Patentes. En 1905 obtuvo su grado de doctor. Durante su estancia en la Oficina de Patentes, y en su tiempo libre, produjo gran parte de su trabajo notable y en 1908 fue nombrado Privatdozent en Berna. En 1909 se convirti en Profesor Extraordinario en Zurich, en 1911, profesor de Fsica Terica en Praga, volviendo a Zurich en el ao siguiente para ocupar un puesto similar. En 1914 fue nombrado Director del Instituto de Fsica Kaiser Wilhelm y Profesor en la Universidad de Berln. Se convirti en un ciudadano alemn en 1914 y permaneci en Berln hasta 1933, cuando renunci a su ciudadana por razones polticas y emigr a Estados Unidos para ocupar el cargo de profesor de Fsica Terica en Princeton *. Se convirti en ciudadano de Estados Unidos en 1940 y se retir de su cargo en 1945. Despus de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Einstein fue una figura destacada en el movimiento de Gobierno Mundial, se le ofreci la presidencia del Estado de Israel, que se neg, y colabor con el Dr. Chaim Weizmann en el establecimiento de la Universidad Hebrea de Jerusaln. Einstein siempre parece tener una visin clara de los problemas de la fsica y la determinacin para resolverlos. Haba una estrategia propia y fue capaz de visualizar las principales etapas en el camino hacia su meta. Que l consideraba sus principales logros como meros peldaos para el siguiente avance. Al comienzo de su trabajo cientfico, Einstein se dio cuenta de las insuficiencias de la mecnica newtoniana y su teora de la relatividad especial surgi de un intento de reconciliar las leyes de la mecnica de las leyes del campo electromagntico. l se ocup de los problemas clsicos de la mecnica estadstica y los problemas en los que se fusionaron con la teora cuntica: esto condujo a una explicacin del movimiento browniano de las molculas. l investig las propiedades trmicas de la luz con una densidad baja a la radiacin y sus observaciones sentaron las bases de la teora del fotn de luz. En sus primeros das en Berln, Einstein postul que la interpretacin correcta de la teora de la relatividad especial tambin debe proporcionar una teora de la gravitacin y en 1916 public su trabajo sobre la teora de la relatividad general. Durante este tiempo tambin ha contribuido a los problemas de la teora de la radiacin y la mecnica estadstica. En la dcada de 1920, Einstein se embarc en la construccin de teoras del campo unificado, aunque sigui trabajando en la interpretacin probabilstica de la teora cuntica, y se mantuvo firme con este trabajo en Estados Unidos. l contribuy a la mecnica estadstica por su desarrollo de la teora cuntica de un gas monoatmico y tambin ha realizado una labor valiosa en relacin con las probabilidades de transicin atmica y la cosmologa relativista.

Despus de su retiro continu trabajando hacia la unificacin de los conceptos bsicos de la fsica, tomando el camino contrario, la geometrizacin, la mayora de los fsicos. Investigaciones de Einstein, por supuesto, tambin la crnica y sus obras ms importantes son: Teora de la Relatividad Especial (1905), la Relatividad (Traducciones Ingls, 1920 y 1950), Teora de la Relatividad General (1916), las investigaciones sobre la teora del movimiento browniano (1926) , y la evolucin de la Fsica (1938). Entre sus obras no cientficas, sobre el sionismo (1930), Por qu la guerra? (1933), Mi Filosofa (1934), y fuera de mi aos despus (1950) son quizs los ms importantes. Albert Einstein recibi doctorados honoris causa en ciencias, medicina y filosofa de muchas universidades europeas y americanas. Durante la dcada de 1920 dio una conferencia en Europa, Amrica y el Lejano Oriente y se le concedi becas o de miembro de las principales academias cientficas de todo el mundo. Gan numerosos premios en reconocimiento a su labor, incluyendo la Medalla Copley de la Royal Society de Londres en 1925, y la Medalla Franklin del Instituto Franklin en 1935.

Regalos de Einstein, inevitablemente, dio lugar a su vivienda mucho en soledad intelectual y, para la relajacin, la msica jug un papel importante en su vida. Se cas con Mileva Maric en 1903 y tuvieron una hija y dos hijos, su matrimonio se disolvi en 1919 y en el mismo ao se cas con su prima Elsa Lowenthal, quien muri en 1936. Muri el 18 de abril de 1955, en Princeton, Nueva Jersey.