Albert Einstein: An Architect Of Hope

Albert Einstein was the 20th century’s most brilliant theoretical physicist. During his life, Albert
Einstein transformed physics, paving the way for the atomic bomb by explaining the relationship
between mass and energy. The atomic bomb helped the U.S win World War II. Ironically, Einstein was
a pacifist, who inspired peaceful and intellectual thought around the world with his truly formidable
intelligence and strict pacifistic morality. He was also extremely influential in the global community,
with a celebrity status unusual for a theoretical physicist. Albert Einstein is an architect of hope
because he revolutionized scientific thought and technology. He is considered one of the most
intelligent, peaceful, and respected individuals of the twentieth century.
Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany. As a child, he developed slowly, and
his parents thought that he might be mentally challenged. He was a rebellious and underachieving
student, but as he later became interested in science and mathematics, he became one of the most
intellectual men our world has known. Einstein became famous for four scientific papers. The first
major paper explained the Photoelectric Effect. The second paper he wrote included the work that he is
best known for, his General Theory of Relativity. It was the General Theory of Relativity that
established Albert Einstein's reputation. His third paper, the least known, concerned Brownian Motion,
the explained motion of small particles suspended in liquid. Einstein’s final paper was his Special
Theory of Relativity. It was in the Special Theory of Relativity that he formulated “E=mc^2”, one of
the most widely known equations in the world.
Although Einstein's work in physics is what made him famous, people also remember his
character. He was an acclaimed pacifist who would do anything to avoid violence, which is why World
War II was such a controversial time for him. When Hitler took power, he put aside his pacifistic
beliefs for the good of his people and his country. He supported World War II because he knew the war
was necessary. But when the worst of the danger had subsided, and the U.S. Government planned to
use the atomic bomb, he sent multiple letters to President Roosevelt warning him of the dangers of the
bomb, and pleading him not to use it. He knew that if the bomb were to be used, it would have
devastating effects unknown to the military. Einstein was also well known for his modesty. Even
though he was famous, he never let fame go to his head. He was kind and friendly to everyone around
him, and he made valuable contributions to the scientific world for the duration of his life. Another of
Einstein’s character traits was forgetfulness, like most people, only his mind was occupied with
difficult physics problems, instead of more mundane concerns.
Einstein's work has affected our lives in infinite of ways. Einstein’s Special Theory of
Relativity theorized that a very small amount of mass contains a massive amount of energy. Without
this theory, there never would have been an atomic bomb which hastened the end of World War II.
Without his work on Brownian motion, the idea of the Atomic Theory might not have been accepted as
truth, and atoms would not be considered physical objects. Without Einstein's General Theory of
Relativity, no one would know that time is relative, and that gravity is caused by indentations in our flat
universe, with larger celestial objects pulling smaller ones toward them, like balls on a stretched sheet.
So much of today’s scientific knowledge has been taught to us by Albert Einstein. While not all of his
theories seem very important, his work has formed the basis for much of our modern lives, especially
his work on the photoelectric effect. Without Einstein’s work, much of the technology based on our
knowledge of light would not exist.
Einstein’s constantly changing environment influenced him very much. Einstein was born in
Germany, to a struggling electrical engineer and businessman, Hermann Einstein. The family business
was often in financial trouble, which forced his family to move often to various places. Throughout his
life, Einstein lived in many different countries, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the United
States. This exposed young Albert to many more ideas, cultures, and knowledge, than most people of
that era. These ideas and thoughts fueled his avid curiosity about science, and helped him on his way
to writing his assorted works.
Einstein grew up in the turn of the 20th century, which greatly influenced his love of science.
During that time, technology advanced at a pace unrivaled in history since the Industrial Revolution of
the late 1800’s. New ideas were spreading faster than ever before with new methods of sharing
information, like the telephone, automobile, and the airplane, becoming more useful. Science was also
moving forward, and Marie Curie, Max Planck, and Neils Bohr became household names, with their
vast contributions to science. Einstein was in many ways a product of his times. Had he been born in
another era, he may not have grown to be the same person.
Einstein was not always interested in science. His interest was sparked by two main events in
his youth. When he was a young child, his father gave him a compass. He was intrigued by the
compass and yearned to know how it worked. It motivated him to explore science in general, and
physics specifically. His interest in science was pushed further by a few textbooks given to him by his
neighbor. He studied them and learned them very quickly. The knowledge from the textbooks
channeled his general rebelliousness towards school into a critical analysis of everything he was taught
about the universe. He looked at everything twice, while most students his age simply accepted what
was being spoon-fed to them by the public school system. Looking back at his education, Einstein
said: “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”
After school, Einstein tried to become a teacher, but had trouble finding a job because he was a
Jew. Instead, he got a job at a Swiss Patent Office in Berne, Switzerland. He was only a clerk, but his
salary provided him with enough money so that he could begin writing his scientific papers. In his
lifetime, he created four main scientific theories. The first theory, called “Quantum Theory,” explains
that light exists in particles that he called “quanta.” These particles are now called photons. Einstein
explained this by studying the Photoelectric Effect. The Photoelectric Effect is a phenomenon where
electrons are ejected from metals when light is shined on them. An electron is pushed out by one
photon, but only if the photon has enough energy. Only high frequency light seemed to push the
electrons from the metal, so he concluded that high frequency light has more energy than low
frequency light. This work was extremely important, as it explains and proves the nature of light.
Einstein’s second paper explained “Brownian Motion.” Brownian motion is the irregular
movement of suspended particles in a liquid. This movement was first spotted by Robert Brown in
1828, while examining bits of plant pollen in water under a microscope. Einstein predicted that the
irregular movements of the particles were caused by the impacts of the many molecules of the liquid.
After different scientists observed the movements more closely, they were perfectly explained by
Einstein’s theory. (Questacon 1) Before this paper was published, the existence of actual physical
atoms and molecules was still debated, but Einstein’s examination of Brownian Motion conclusively
proved their existence.
Einstein’s third paper concerned his Special Theory of Relativity. This theory is based on the
fact that all motion is relative to the observer. “Imagine you are observing a car traveling at 20 km/h. If
your car is stationary, then the other car's speed relative to you is 20 km/h. However if you are traveling
alongside the car also doing 20 km/h, then the other car seems to be stationary compared to you. Its
speed relative to you is zero!” (Questacon 1) The theory imagined what it would be like to travel
alongside a light beam. Since the speed of light is constant, meaning that light always travels through
empty space at “the speed of light”, time and length are not absolute. Instead, they depend on the
relative motion of the object and the observer. (Questacon 1) “If you are stationary, an object that is
moving seems to get shorter and heavier, and time slows down for the object. In everyday situations,
the slight changes are immeasurable, but they become obvious as the speed increases towards the speed
of light. As the object travels closer to the speed of light, the length of the object appears closer to zero.
However if you are traveling at the same speed as the object, then everything looks normal! The
'contraction' of moving objects is the contraction of space itself not the object within space.”
(Questacon 1) Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity was extremely important because it explains that
the movements of objects that are generally considered to be absolute are actually relative to the
observer.
 After publishing his Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein began working on his General
Theory of Relativity, which explained objects that did not move in a straight line at a constant speed.
The Genral Theory of Relativity mostly encompassed objects moving in a curved motion, and
accelerating objects. (Questacon 1) He intended to make the theory more “General” this way,
considering that those are the types of movements that make planets move in orbit and objects fall to
Earth. (Questacon 1) “Some of the ideas in his theory were that space and time are not constant, but
they change, and gravity is a property of spacetime rather than being an external force.” (Questacon 1)
Einstein “predicted that a light beam passing near a massive object would actually be bent, and by how
much. This prediction was supported during a total eclipse of the Sun in May 1919.” (Questacon 1)
The General Theory of Relativity was also extremely important, because it explained the concept of
space-time, and helped to show how gravity works in terms of planets’ orbits and other celestial
movements.
Einstein received many awards honoring his immense contributions to theoretical physics. His
first and foremost honor was the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. Officially, he received this award for
his work on the photoelectric effect, because his other work was still considered very controversial at
that time, but it is generally thought that the award also recognizes his theories of relativity, and his
other work. Even Einstein himself, speaking when receiving the award, spent his entire speech time
talking only about his work apart from the Quantum Theory. Although the Nobel Prize is one of the
most grand ways that Einstein is remembered, he received many other awards, including the Copley
Medal in 1925, the Gold Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society in 1926, the Max-Planck Medal
in 1929, and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 1935. Additionaly, Einstein was honored with a raft of
honorary doctorates. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Rostock in 1919,
Princeton University in 1921, ETH in Zurich in 1930, Oxford University in 1931, and finally from
Harvard University in 1935.
Awards are not the only way that Einstein is remembered today. He has had a huge impact on
society that he will always be remembered for, especially during World War II. First of all, Einstein’s
Special Theory of Relativity, and in specific the famous equation E = mc^2, stated that a small amount
of mass contains a massive amount of energy. This idea that a small mass could be turned into
something hugely energetic, led to the idea that it could be turned into a weapon. This weapon is called
the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was used twice in World War II, and it won the war for the Allies.
Without Einstein’s invaluable work, the atomic bomb would never have been possible, delaying, and
possibly preventing the end of World War II.
After creating the theoretical basis for the atomic bomb, Einstein warned the government
repeatedly how dangerous it would be to use the bomb. He wrote several letters to President Roosevelt
pleading him to refrain from using the it. However, when it was believed that the Nazis might develop
an atomic bomb of their own, Einstein changed his mind and supported the dropping of the bombs. He
put his patriotism in front of his pacifistic morals, for the good of mankind. Overall, Einstein had an
enormous impact on the course of history, saving us from a war that might never have ended.
Throughout his life, Albert Einstein faced many challenges, but in the end he always pulled
through for the good of mankind. The first challenge he had was trying to get through school, and the
next challenge was getting a job after school. He was not a very good student, and he ended up
following his family to Switzerland to finish his education. Though he did not graduate with honors,
he made it through college. The trouble then, was finding work in Switzerland. Even though he did
end up having a job at the Swiss Patent Office in Berne, it was a long journey to find that job, and he
was not helped by society at that time. One of the reasons he could not get a good job was because he
was Jewish. During that time, people were extremely prejudiced towards Jews. The second reason
was his poor performance in school. Both of those factors contributed to the challenge of getting a job,
which was not an easy challenge.
Another challenge that Einstein faced was World War II. He was greatly affected by World War
II, as he born in Germany. He was offered a post at Princeton University in December 1933, and when
Nazis took over Germany the following month, he decided to never return to Europe. He was morally
torn during the war over the use of the atomic bomb. If the bomb were to be used, millions of people
would die, but the allies would win the war. However, if the bomb were not to be used, the Nazis
might use it instead, and the allies would lose the war. He decided to advocate using the bomb
eventually, but later regretted it, in fear of the nuclear weapons-based world he had created.
Einstein’s legacy would surely have made his father proud. Firstly, the word “Einstein” is now
synonymous with genius. That, in and of itself, is a great achievement. Another aspect of Einstein’s
legacy is the public recognition and knowledge of his work. Most of the general public know about
Einstein’s Theories, and an even greater number know the equation E = mc^2. Lastly, Einstein’s crazy
hair set him apart from any other scientist of his era. His hair made him appear as a “mad” scientist,
and will not be easily forgotten.
Einstein is also remembered is by the numerous awards and organizations that bear his name.
These include the Albert Einstein Award, the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, and the Albert
Einstein Peace Prize. There are two foundations in his name as well, the Albert Einstein Institution,
and the Albert Einstein Peace Foundation. There are hundreds of books and articles about Einstein as
well - too many to be named. Albert Einstein will surely not be forgotten, as his legacy will live on
forever.
Another aspect of Einstein’s legacy is the social change he effected. He influenced many
people with his pacifism, and because of that, he will go down in history with other renowned
peacekeepers such as Mahatma Ghandi and the Dalai Lama. He helped teach us that violence is not
always the answer. He also tried to establish a sense of caution with atomic weapons, a caution that we
will pay more attention to before using them again. To this day, we are afraid to use the atomic bomb
again, after the utter destruction and chaos it brought to Japan.
The final aspect of Albert Einstein’s legacy is his offspring. During his life, Albert Einstein had
three children. His first child, a daughter named Lieserl was born in 1902, before his marriage to his
wife, Mileva. She was mentally challenged at birth, and died as a child due to Scarlet Fever. His
second child was a son named Hans Albert, who grew up to be a Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at
UC Berkeley. Hans Albert had one son, Bernhard Caeser Einstein, who is a physicist. Einstein’s third
child was a son named Eduard, who was schizophrenic all of his life, and was cared for by Mileva until
she died in 1948.
Albert Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey. He died on April 15, 1955. He was 76 years old.
Throughout his life, he contributed greatly to the scientific community, and the global community. He
inspired generations of people, and will continue to live on in those people and their accomplishments.
Albert Einstein is an architect of hope, because he not only advanced scientific thought and knowledge
and created the theoretical basis for the atomic bomb, he also inspired people with his intelligence,
wisdom, and peaceful ideals.
Einstein’s life was well spent pondering and consistently questioning the things that we simply
accept. He gave us the theories of Relativity, which helped to explain the way that gravity, motion, and
space-time all work. He helped to prove the existence of the atom and the molecule as physical objects
with his work on Brownian Motion. He also greatly helped us understand the nature of light, proving
to us that it exists in particles, called quanta, with frequencies that create the Photoelectric Effect. He
inspired peace with his strong ideals and his letters that strongly advocated for pacifism. Reflecting
back on Einstein's life, I see that he had an extremely active, influential, and beneficial existence.
Without Albert Einstein, our understanding of the Universe would be far more limited, and we may
well be under Nazi command today.