Albert Einstein
Of all the scientists to emerge from the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries
there is one whose name is known by almost
all living people. While most of
these do not understand this man's work,
everyone knows that its impact on the
world of science is astonishing. Yes,
many have heard of Albert Einstein's
General Theory of relativity, but
few know about the intriguing life that led
this scientist to discover what
some have called, "The greatest single
achievement of human thought."
Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March
14, 1874. Before his first
birthday, his family had moved to Munich where young
Albert's father,
Hermann Einstein, and uncle set up small electro-chemical
business. He was
fortunate to have an excellent family with which he held a
strong
relationship. Albert's mother, Pauline Einstein, had an intense passion
for
music and literature, and it was she that first introduced her son to
the
violin in which hefound much joy and relaxation. Also, he was very close
with
his younger sister, Maja, and they could often be found in the lakes
that were
scattered about the countryside near Munich. As a child, Einstein's
sense of
curiosity had already begun to stir. A favorite toy of his was his
father's
compass, and he often marvelled at his uncle's explanations of
algebra. Although
young Albert was intrigued by certain mysteries of science,
he was considered a
slow learner. His failure to become fluent in German
until the age of nine even
led some teachers to believe he was disabled.
Einstein's post-basic education
began at the Luitpold Gymnasium when he was
ten. It was here that he first
encountered the German spirit through the
school's strict disciplinary policy.
His disapproval of this method of
teaching led to his reputation as a rebel. It
was probably these differences
that caused Einstein to search for knowledge at
home. He began not with
science, but with religion. He avidly studied the Bible
seeking truth, but
this religious fervor soon died down when he discovered the
intrigue of
science and math. To him, these seemed much more realistic than
ancient
stories. With this new knowledge he disliked class even more, and
was
eventually expelled from Luitpold Gymnasium being considered a
disruptive
influence. Feeling that he could no longer deal with the German
mentality,
Einstein moved to Switzerland where he continued his
education. At sixteen he
attempted to enroll at the Federal Institute of
Technology but failed the
entrance exam. This forced him to study locally for
one year until he finally
passed the school's evaluation. The Institute
allowed Einstein to meet many
other students that shared his curiosity, and
It was here that his studies
turned mainly to Physics. He quickly learned
that while physicists had generally
agreed on major principals in the past,
there were modern scientists who were
attempting to disprove outdated
theories. Since most of Einstein's teachers
ignored these new ideas, he was
again forced to explore on his own. In 1900 he
graduated from the Institute
and then achieved citizenship to
Switzerland.