Ulm, a city in southern Germany. There is a Jewish family living at 135 Bahnhofstrasse in Ulm. The male host’s name is Hermann Einstein. Hermann Einstein's wife, the very elegant and well-educated hostess of this family, was named Pauline Coker.
After the two got married, they became loving husband and wife. Soon, Pauline became pregnant. Ten months later, the child was born on March 14, 1879. The couple named the boy: Albert Einstein.
The couple loved little Einstein very much. After the full moon, Paulin suddenly discovered that there was something strange about little Einstein's head. Her name was Hermann:
“Look at Albert’s head.”
Hermann came close to his son, looked at her son carefully for a while, and said:
"It's a little weird. The skull is angular, won't it affect the child's development?"
Herman told his mother about the strange skull of Albert, and she also It was little Einstein’s grandmother. The grandmother said:
“Oh, oh, oh, it’s too heavy, too heavy!”
She was talking about her little grandson’s head. It's too big and heavy. How can a weak body support such a big and weird head?
No matter how big or strange, Albert Einstein is growing up healthily.
Little Einstein is 3 years old and seems to have a special affection for nature. His eyes and the expression on his face showed the joy in his heart. He looked at the forest, he looked at the running water, and he was walking alone in the grass...
One day, six-year-old Einstein fell ill and lay in bed.
"Einstein, how are you?" Father Hermann walked into the room.
"The doctor said I can't get up yet."
"Well, just be patient for a little longer! I brought you a very interesting gift."
< p>What the father took out of his pocket was a compass."Hey, what a strange watch...the two needles are connected in a straight line!" Einstein sat up from the bed.
"This is not a watch, this is called a compass."
"Compass?"
"Yes. Watches are used to keep time, and with this Then you can know the direction."
"Just like this, no matter how you shake it, the direction the magnetic needle points is the north. ”
“Why does the magnetic needle point to the north?”
“This is because the earth we live in has a magnetic force, which leads the magnetic needle to the north.”
"Where on earth is this magnetism located?"
"It can be said that it exists throughout the earth."
Einstein was very surprised. Dei looked at the magnetic needle again, thinking silently, then lay on the bed and said no more.
"Einstein is really a weird child." Walking out of the ward, Hermann said to his wife Pauline: "I think he must be very bored after his illness. So I brought him a compass to play with, but he thought silently after looking at it..."
"Yes. This child can't speak after his first birthday, but he learned it with great difficulty. He is so taciturn."
"Really...but maybe this child will become the greatest scientist in the world. ”
Einstein’s mother never imagined that this joke she blurted out would turn out to be a successful prophecy.
Children are imaginative. However, it was his uncle Jacob who gave wings to Einstein's imagination.
"Uncle, what is algebra?" One day, Einstein heard the term "algebra" from somewhere and asked his uncle.
The uncle smiled and replied: "Algebra can be said to be the arithmetic of lazy people. Whatever you don't know, call it x, and then look for this x."
What an amazing game! This was the springboard that enabled Einstein to jump into the sea of ??knowledge. After Einstein learned preliminary algebra from his uncle, he became obsessed with finding x and y all day long.
Einstein received three influences from three adults: his father Hermann taught him how to appreciate literature; his mother Pauline led him into the beautiful world of music; and opened up science to him. The door of the diàn hall is uncle Jacob. Literature, music and science - these three things later became the three pillars that shaped Albert Einstein's great personality.
When Albert was 10 years old, he entered Ruteborg High School. In that school, the teacher was very impatient with the students' questions, and Albert was unwilling to repeat what the teacher taught in a simple way, but he couldn't help but ask the teacher questions. Therefore, Albert became the kind of student that teachers disliked most in such a school. He felt very unhappy. Fortunately, Albert got to know a medical student at the University of Munich, a Russian Jew named Mark Talme. Mark also brought some small books about natural science to Albert. Those books talked about plants and animals, stars and meteorites, earthquakes, climate and other scientific knowledge. Albert held these books as excitedly as he had been fascinated by the little compass on his father's watch chain a few years ago. Uncle Jack praised Albert's enthusiasm for delving into problems, like hunting, treating the question like an animal, searching hard until he catches it. Uncle Jack also told Mark Talme full of praise:
"When Albert started learning geometry, he read the geometry textbook from beginning to end before he even took the first lesson."
However, life in that higher education institution made Albert feel increasingly bored and lonely. He is incompatible with teachers, classmates and everything in school. He longs to return to his warm home. He is confident that in mathematics, his level has exceeded that of college graduates. His math teacher not only allowed him to leave school, but even thought that Albert could never come back.
"Have I violated you and the school rules?" Albert naturally wanted to ask clearly.
"No." The mathematics teacher felt that Albert Einstein was used to asking questions in class that even the teacher could not answer, which would affect the respect other students deserved for their teachers.
Albert left that high school resolutely. At that time, Hermann Einstein encountered difficulties in business, closed the factory, and moved his family to Milan, Italy. Albert got rid of bleak bleak (àn): feeling uncomfortable and depressed. Life in Munich and family reunion in Milan. This was the happiest period of his life. Together with his good friend Otto, he traveled through the Apennine Mountains and took an unfettered hike to Geneva. There were museums, art treasures, churches, concerts, books, friends, the warm Italian sunshine, the free and enthusiastic people - all this excited Albert. However, the idyll will not last long. Soon, his father's electrical appliance factory failed again, and Albert had to find a job or go back to school to get a diploma and then enter university.
Albert took a fancy to the Swiss Federal University of Technology in Zurich.
In 1895, Einstein came to Switzerland and applied for the Technical University of Zurich. Although he did well in math, he failed several other classes. He had no choice but to go to a state high school in Switzerland for tutoring. A year later, he obtained a diploma from that school before entering the Technical University of Zurich.
In his first year at university, Einstein made a list of books for himself, which were mainly works by world-famous physicists and philosophers. He also developed a reading schedule for himself for each year, each semester, and each month.
However, Einstein did not pay enough attention to the normal courses offered by the school. He often did not attend any class in which he thought he had mastered the knowledge. Moreover, he did not always follow the teacher's guidance meticulously and meticulously: it means he is serious about doing things, and he is not sloppy even in the smallest details. He often did it with originality, which made some teachers dissatisfied with him.
In a physics experiment class not long after, Professor Weber gave each student a piece of paper as usual, with detailed operating steps written on it.
Einstein himself had done this experiment many times in the laboratory. As usual, he crumpled the note from the professor into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket on the side.
Unexpectedly, this time a big mistake was made.
With a loud "bang", Einstein's right hand was cut with a large cut by the blasted glass, and he was bleeding.
The students screamed and gathered around, cleaning up the broken glass on the experimental table and finding medicines to bandage Einstein.
After Professor Weber figured out the reason, he picked up the note he personally sent to Einstein from the wastebasket and left the laboratory angrily.
The department gave Einstein a serious warning.
Einstein paid the price for his "independence". In the autumn of 1900, he graduated with honors and, along with three other classmates in his class, obtained the qualifications to be a teacher. Those three classmates all stayed at the school as teaching assistants, but Einstein's application was rejected.
During the nearly two years of unemployment, Einstein sometimes taught here and sometimes substituted for teachers there. He did not have a fixed occupation. Therefore, his economic income was very small and his life was very difficult (jié): lack of money and a difficult situation. , these Grossman saw in his eyes and remembered them in his heart.
Grossman paid attention to recruitment (pìn) in various places, but in the end there was no one suitable for Einstein.
One day, Grossman learned from his father that the Federal Patent Office in Bern (or the Swiss Patent Office, also called the Mental Property Office) was planning to recruit a staff member. He immediately thought of his good friend Einstein.
Grossman said to his father: "Dad, my good friend Einstein has not found a job yet, please help Mr. Friedrich Haller of the Patent Office and tell him, Let him work there."
Old Grossman made a special trip to visit Mr. Haller and strongly recommended Einstein to work in the Patent Office. Mr. Haller nodded in agreement.
He kept his word. On December 11, 1901, the local newspaper published a recruitment notice (pìn) for the Bern Patent Office.
Einstein and Mileva saw the notice. Grossman also informed Einstein. Einstein expressed his gratitude, then wrote an application and found the patent office at the location given by Grossman.
Patent Office Director Haller quickly recognized the name Einstein. He invited Einstein to come to his office. Einstein sat face to face at Haller's desk, feeling really uneasy. He knew very well that this was indeed a rare opportunity, and he could not make any mistakes in order to pass this interview. Only by being admitted this time can he not worry about his livelihood, and can he tell his parents and reassure them.
Dr. Haller looked at Einstein and said:
"I have three patent applications in hand now. Please take a look and express your opinion."< /p>
Einstein’s nervousness immediately dissipated when he saw that the director in front of him was not only serious, but also upright and enthusiastic. He was a sincere person. He carefully read the three patent applications and judged the value of those applications based on his knowledge. Then he told his views one by one. Haller smiled slightly and listened very carefully. He did hear that the young man across from him lacked engineering knowledge and certain technical details, but he also saw from Einstein's opinions that the young man's thinking was sharp: (feeling) sensitive: (vision) sharp . As well as his ability to judge, especially his serious attitude, he was very satisfied.
After Einstein said goodbye, he returned to his residence and told Mileva the good news of being hired.
So Einstein moved to Bern and took up a new position in the Patent Office.
As the director said, he learned the job quickly. For Einstein, those tasks were simply too easy. What took others a day to complete, he did in less than three hours. He spent the rest of his time studying physics.
In Bern, Einstein made several new friends, all of whom had a strong interest in academics and often gathered together for "scientific talks."
Usually they meet after get off work, for a walk or at someone else's residence, to have a chat or read a book.
Every gathering is also a dinner party. A few sausages and bread, a few pieces of cheese (lào) and fruit are their most sumptuous dinner.
The nine years in Bern were the happiest time in Einstein’s memory, and it was also the period when he was most creative and had the most scientific achievements.
He and Mileva are still married and have lovely children.
When Einstein was less than 16 years old, he was riding in a carriage and suddenly had a strange idea: If someone traveled with the light at the speed of light, would he see that the light was still? What about electromagnetic (cí) waves in space?
According to traditional classical physics theory, the answer is yes. It's like we are sitting in a car traveling at a constant speed and observing another car moving at the same speed and in the same direction as us, it feels like that car seems to be stationary.
However, Einstein believed that was impossible based on his reasoning and imagination.
Passengers on the train do not move relative to the train, but fly past at a speed of tens of meters per second relative to the ground. The train moves relative to the ground and the earth moves relative to the sun. These are all relative motions. However, if we continue to deduce this, the sun moves relative to the center of the Milky Way, and what does the Milky Way move relative to?
According to the explanation of classical physics, in addition to relative motion, there is also absolute motion, that is, motion relative to absolute space. As for absolute space, Newton explained it as: "Absolute space, by its nature, has nothing to do with anything in the outside world, but is always the same and immovable."
However, absolute space Since it has nothing to do with the outside world, how can it exist? And how is it known to others? Newton could not answer this question, so he had to say that absolute space and absolute time were God's creations. Einstein was certainly not satisfied with this explanation. Einstein's research started from the ancient "mystery of the ether" problem.
The word "ether" was created by the ancient Greeks. They believe that the air is filled with ether, a substance that is invisible to the naked eye but is everywhere.
Newton borrowed the word ether and used it as the transmission medium of gravity.
The "wave theory" of light believes that ether is the propagation medium of light waves, just like air is the medium of sound waves.
The "wave theory" also believes that ether is omnipresent, not only filling the universe, but also permeating gas, water and all objects. It has no frictional resistance and does not affect the movement of any object.
In the 19th century, ether was said to be the bearer of electromagnetic fields and the disseminator of electromagnetic waves. Some people simply describe the invisible, intangible, and inexplicable ether as Newton's absolute space!
The ether has become a mystery within a mystery that no one can solve!
Einstein had long suspected the existence of the ether, "Can light only propagate through a communication medium? And can this communication medium only be the ether?"
" Since there is nothing that can prove the existence of absolute space and absolute time, then they do not exist."
Einstein dared to challenge any authority!
In the special theory of relativity, Einstein proposed two basic principles:
1. The speed of light is constant.
2. When an object moves close to or reaches the speed of light, time will slow down relative to the object. This is the so-called principle of special relativity.
Based on the principle of special relativity, he deduced that the mass of an object is closely related to its motion. As the motion speed increases, the mass also increases, and he derived the mass-energy relationship: < /p>
E=mc2, that is, when an object is converted into energy, the total value of energy is equivalent to the product of its mass and the square of the speed of light, thus revealing the secret of the huge energy contained inside the atom!
For the principles of relativity, Einstein himself once made it concise and to the point (è): grasp the main points (mostly refers to speaking or writing articles). Description:
“The gist is this: Earlier people thought that if by some miracle all physical things suddenly disappeared, space and time would still remain. In terms of the theory of relativity , space and time disappear together with everything.”
Time, length and mass are the three basic quantities in the study of mechanics. In Newtonian mechanics they are absolute and unchanging. But in the theory of relativity, they become quantities related to the coordinate system of the measurer.
In addition, in Newton's mechanics, mass and energy are distinct and unrelated to each other. Each is conserved (numerically): remain constant... In the theory of relativity, Newton's conservation law becomes mass. The law of conservation of energy is E=mc2.
Thus, space and time are unified, matter and motion are unified, and mass and energy are unified.
In the summer of 1913, Einstein and Marie Curie’s family traveled to the Ancardinu Valley.
Einstein used his inspired voice to tell Marie Curie the concepts swirling in his mind. Marie Curie was one of the few people in Europe who understood his theories.
Children sometimes prick up their ears and listen to terms they don’t understand. Einstein was thinking intently as he walked across the edge of the cliff and climbed up the towering rock wall.
He suddenly stopped, grabbed Madam Curie's hand, and shouted loudly: "Madam, you understand! The problem is what happens to the passengers when the elevator falls in a vacuum. Yeah."
The theory of relativity published in 1905 came with a condition: "It is based on two worlds moving at equal speeds." Therefore, it was named "Special Relativity." Also known as "Special Theory of Relativity".
When Einstein announced this theory at the Physical Medicine Congress in Vienna, there were those who were in favor and those who were against it. After a heated debate, Einstein made a categorical conclusion: "I hope to take photos of the planet during the solar eclipse next year to verify whether my theory is correct. According to my calculations, the angle of light bending is 0.83 seconds." ”
Bold prophecy!
Unfortunately, during the solar eclipse in 1914, the World War had already broken out. The German solar eclipse (shí) observation team sent to Russia was arrested by the Russian army, so the actual observation had to wait for the next opportunity.
In 1918, Germany surrendered, and the First World War finally ended. When the clouds of war gradually dissipated, people all over the world discovered that Einstein had become a great idol, standing tall in the world.
As soon as the war ended, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society immediately dispatched a (qiǎn) solar eclipse observation team to conduct observations. The object of this observation was the solar eclipse expected to occur on March 27, 1919. , the purpose is to verify Einstein's prediction.
Because this solar eclipse can be observed in Africa and South America. The British decided to send two observation teams: one to Sobral in northern Brazil, and one to Principe Island in the Gulf of Guinea in Africa. The famous astronomer Lord Eddington personally served as the captain and went to Africa. The observation team took a variety of novel instruments and made full preparations to leave the UK by boat.
On that day, it happened to be cloudy, which was not suitable for observation.
When the total solar eclipse (shí) is about to end, the clouds disperse and the stars begin to twinkle. Therefore, among the photos taken, one captured the five stars very clearly.
They packed up the negatives they took and took them back to London. Fortunately, it was a sunny day in Sobral, Brazil, so I was able to take perfect photos. In London, experts compared it closely with photos taken without the sun.
Can Einstein’s prediction be confirmed? Scholars around the world are waiting with bated breath for the publication of the research results. But there is one physicist who seems to be indifferent to these things. He still smokes his pipe and concentrates on other research - he is Einstein.
November 6, 1919 - a great day.
Jointly sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Society, a report on solar eclipse observation results was held in the auditorium of the Royal Society. The chairman is the famous physicist Professor Thomson. There is a large statue of Newton behind the rostrum. Professor Thomson stood in front of the statue and reported the results of this actual observation. Just as Einstein predicted, starlight has a twist of 1.64 seconds (Einstein's last prediction was 1.7 seconds).