Page 74 - (DK) How to be a GENIUS?

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Einstein’s fa s c i n a t i o n with p h y s i cs b eg a n a t the ag e o f
Einstein’s fascination with physics began at the age of
began
eg
t
th
s
th
fa
fascination
ei
ei
physics
’
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at
age
e
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th
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when
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en
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ed
ed
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e,
needle
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five, when he watched the twitching needle of a compass
five,
fi ve wh en he watched th e twitching n ee l e of a compa s s
o
h
ve,
a
i
wa
tc
h
g
ed
f
n
s
that
th
en
force
unseen
ee
es
es
fo
rc
o
c
e
p
a
full
fu
wa
was
rea
and realized that space was full of unseen forces.
re
ea
iz
and
a n d realized th a t space wa s fu l l of f u n s een fo rc es .
iz
l
ed
ed
Albert
Einstein
Einstein was born in Germany in 1879,
the son of an engineer.
When you think of genius, you think of Einstein. This
is partly because his ideas are beyond most people’s
understanding—the bending of light and the distortion
of space, for example. He is most famous for his theories
of relativity, which explain how the universe works, and for
2
the equation E=mc , which has become an icon of inspired
atical thinking. Translating extraordinary ideas
n
mathemat i ca l t h i n k i n g . T r a n s l l a t i n g e
h
into clear mathematics was part of his genius.
a
c
m
At the age of o
At the age f only 16, Einstein wondere
be like to trav vel at the speed of light:
This portrait shows E Einstein in 1893 when Bright id dea ond. He realize ed what it would
hen
186,000 miles
l
(300,000 km m) per second. He realize
he was 14 and alrea ady fascinated by math.
ed that if you
t traveled aw way from a clock at this s
speed, and were
able to lo ook back and see it, the
clock’s hands
would ne ever move—because th
move—because the
e image of the
hands after they moved would
never catch up
wi ith you. Time would seem
It takes g m to stand still.
i
It takes genius to
think like this.
Day jobb
Einstein studdied phy nd Relativity
h isics and
mathematicss, and then got worrk in Einstein was fascinated by the
p
the patent office in Bern, Switzerland, nature of light, space, and
e
fi
her people
decidding whether oth r le’ss time. His conclusions were
s
invenntions were worthwhile. Meanwhile mind-boggling—that time can
w
he waas thinking hard abbout physics and slow down, space is curved,
hi
the nature of the universe in his spare gravity is a distortion of space
ar
e
sp
i
time, as a hobby rather than a job. and time, and nothing is fixed
The fact that he was not working at except the speed of light.
a university, where he would have had These ideas formed the core
to focus on the ideas of the professors, of his theories of relativity.
meant that he was free to come up
with his own theories.
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(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.