Essay About Albert Einsteins General Theory And Young Alberts Father

Albert Einsetin
Essay title: Albert Einsetin
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 mans work, everyone knows that its impact on
the world of science is astonishing. Yes, many have heard of Albert Einsteins 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 Alberts father, Hermann Einstein, and uncle set up a small electro-chemical business. He was
fortunate to have an excellent family with which he held a strong relationship. Alberts 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 he
found 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, Einsteins sense of curiosity had already begun to stir. A favorite toy of his was his fathers compass, and
he often marvelled at his uncles 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.
Einsteins post-basic education began at the Luitpold Gymnasium when he was ten. It was here that he first
encountered the German spirit through the schools 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 schools 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 Einsteins 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.
Einstein became a clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in 1902. This job had little to do with physics, but he was able to
satiate his curiosity by figuring out how new inventions worked. The most important part of Einsteins occupation
was that it allowed him enough time to pursue his own line of research. As his ideas began to develop, he published
them in specialist journals. Though he was still unknown to the scientific world, he began to attract a large circle of
friends