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Example research essay topic: Speed Of Light Theory Of Relativity - 1,460 words

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... that transcended the current knowledge of his time on the subject. Another consequence of Einstein's quantum research in this area was interest of the scientific community in quantum mechanics, a science Einstein would dismiss as too in deterministic. From these discoveries, Einstein was to receive a Nobel Prize. Einstein regarded his second paper of 1905 as relatively unimportant.

In it, he calculated a way of determining the size of molecules and found a value for Avogadro's number. By analyzing diffusion rates of particles through liquids, he devised a simple model that facilitated his calculations. He submitted this paper for a Ph. D. thesis, and upon being told it was too short, added a sentence. It was thus accepted, and Einstein finally earned his Ph.

D. His third 1905 paper was more important. In it, Einstein pondered the interactions of particles in air and the related statistical consequences. He did not realize that he observed Brownian motion, but what he found was that the molecular theory of gases and Brownian motion both posses a key quantity that shares the same numerical value. Einstein had found an important symmetry, and his inspirations to find this symmetry were his curiosity and his need to find answers.

Even at an early age, Einstein contemplated what light would look like if one moved alongside it. In Einstein's fourth 1905 paper, "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, " he introduced his revolutionary special theory of relativity and addressed this curiosity. Relativity is an especially revolutionary idea because some basic assumptions about the nature of light had to be ignored, and new ones made. Previously, space, time, and distance were considered absolute, and Newton made his laws in accordance with these assumptions.

Einstein asserted, instead, that space and time are not absolute, but the speed of light is. This implies that there will be disagreement between observers at different velocities on the distance light travels and the time it takes, but each set of calculations should yield the same constant speed of light. To explain this warping of time, Einstein determined a formula using a simple coordinate transformation that quantifies time dilation. This formula is: This equation shows two major things. First, if there is any velocity difference between two moving observes, there will be a difference in their perceptions of time. Second, it shows that the speed of light is a universal limit.

If one were to travel at velocity c, the time passed on a "stationary" Earth would be infinite... Einstein finally showed that Maxwell's equations conform to relativity, and after mathematically verifying all of this, he concluded the revolutionary work. More revolutionary work was to come. Einstein's next paper, published in 1907, showed that all mass consists of energy. Using his electromagnetic equations, he found that if a body releases E in energy, its mass decreases by E/c^ 2. He then finalized his theory that E = mc^ 2, showing that all matter possesses a proportionately large amount of energy.

Only later in his life would Einstein realize the true significance of this mass-energy conversion. Einstein soon became well known in the world of science. He took a teaching position in Bern, but quickly became a professor at Zurich University. He shortly moved to the Zurich Polytechnic, but this was not to last. He was elected to the Prussian Academy of Science and was assigned the directorship of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany.

Soon afterward, though, World War One began, and Einstein quickly made his beliefs known. He was still of Jewish faith, but he supported the ideas of Spinoza, a man who accepted all nature as God, as Einstein did. In each of Einstein's ideas, he always gave thought to how God would have planned the universe. Also Einstein vocally supported pacifism. All his life, he sought to encourage nonviolent solutions to problems, and war ran against this belief.

Again, he turned to his science to maintain focus. Since the world of politics brought him no answers, science had to once again. During the war years, Einstein expanded his theory of relativity to a general case. Since he revolutionized the concept of space-time in his previous works, he decided to look into how gravity, light, and acceleration behave relativistically. Ultimately, he asserted that acceleration is relative, one can't tell the difference between a gravitational force and a uniform acceleration, and that gravitation bends light rays. This bending was experimentally verified by observing an eclipse of the sun, and is also evident in the apparent "red shift" of electromagnetic radiation.

Einstein then used tensor calculus (with the help of his friend Grossman) to determine sixteen field equations: ten which are gravitational and six of an electromagnetic nature. Einstein considered his relativity theories to be his true life's work. For a large part of his life, he would travel the world in support of these theories. In 1919, Einstein's mother died, providing yet another shock in Albert's life.

Also, in that year, he divorced his wife and remarried five months later. His second wife, widow Elsa Einstein (a second cousin), had two daughters from her first marriage, Ilsa and Margot. Meanwhile, in the political arena, the German Kaiser abdicated, and the new nationalistic ideals of Germany began to operate against Einstein due to his pacifism and Jewish beliefs. Einstein traveled to America in 1921 to raise funds for a university in Jerusalem, again showing his convictions. He was well received, and lectured at length on relativity there. He then returned to Germany, but left his home temporarily due to death threats.

A trip to Japan followed, where again he was well received. While there, he learned of his Nobel Prize, awarded to him because of his contributions on the photoelectric effect. At his acceptance, though, he spoke on relativity. Evidently, he felt compelled to promote this aspect of his work. Einstein's fiftieth birthday soon arrived. This was widely celebrated, much to Albert's dismay.

He and Elsa were "given" land in Caput where the family lived away from the academic atmosphere of Berlin. However, he moved back to Princeton in 1933 upon the Nazi incursion. At that time, the Germans seized his possessions, and revoked Einstein's citizenship after he had already done so. He lived in Princeton for the remainder of his life. In 1939, again supporting his pacifist ideals, Einstein signed a note sent to President Roosevelt noting the reality of atomic power as well as its deadly potential. Numerous verifications of his mass-energy conversion theory prompted this action.

Its deadly potential was realized when, in August of 1945, Hiroshima and Nagasaki became the first targets of an atomic bomb. "Alas" (Hoffmann 210) doesn't adequately express Einstein's dismay upon these occurrences. Einstein's next main concern was continuing his activistic and scientific work. In 1945, he began a study on the age of the universe, refuting the current estimate. Also, he developed the idea of a cosmological constant.

He later acknowledged this as being the biggest mistake of his life. He spent the rest of his days searching for a unified field theory that connected gravity, electromagnetism, and the nuclear forces. This search was unsuccessful, as the current knowledge of nuclear forces was inadequate. This search continues even today.

Einstein continued to speak politically. He made several public gestures supporting Zionism and pacifism, and he was even offered the presidency of Israel in 1952. He declined, citing inexperience in politics. Possessing a stronger duty to science, he stated that "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity" (Hawking 178).

Shortly thereafter, he fell ill, and on April 18, 1955, Albert Einstein died. He left behind the legacy of a man who altered the face of physics as we know it. What he didn't leave behind was a shrine or place of burial. Even in death, Einstein existed humbly, showing the manner of man he was. Albert Einstein's lifelong quest was to seek the answers to questions his curiosity posed. His religious inspirations and intuitive nature helped set him apart from other scientists, and aided him in finding the solutions he sought.

He was just as unique a man, possessing a world view many have come to respect. In short, Einstein was a man who was much greater than the sum of his equations. It is in this light that he will be forever remembered. It is also because of this truth that Einstein is considered one of the most revolutionary men of our time.

Duxbury, Philip. "Physics concepts, physics careers" lecture notes. East Lansing, 1996. Hawking, Stephen. A Brief History of Time. New York: Bantam, 1988. Hoffmann, Banks (with Helen Dukas as collaborator).

Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel. New York: Viking, 1972. Bibliography:


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Research essay sample on Speed Of Light Theory Of Relativity

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