Albert Einstein Popular Books

Albert Einstein Biography & Facts

Albert Einstein ( EYEN-styne; German: [ˈalbɛɐt ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn] ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is widely held to be one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. Best known for developing the theory of relativity, Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics, and was thus a central figure in the revolutionary reshaping of the scientific understanding of nature that modern physics accomplished in the first decades of the twentieth century. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from relativity theory, has been called "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. In a 1999 poll of 130 leading physicists worldwide by the British journal Physics World, Einstein was ranked the greatest physicist of all time. His intellectual achievements and originality have made the word Einstein broadly synonymous with genius.Born in the German Empire, Einstein moved to Switzerland in 1895, forsaking his German citizenship (as a subject of the Kingdom of Württemberg) the following year. In 1897, at the age of seventeen, he enrolled in the mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the Swiss federal polytechnic school in Zürich, graduating in 1900. In 1901, he acquired Swiss citizenship, which he kept for the rest of his life. In 1903, he secured a permanent position at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. In 1905, he submitted a successful PhD dissertation to the University of Zurich. In 1914, he moved to Berlin in order to join the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1917, he became director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics; he also became a German citizen again, this time as a subject of the Kingdom of Prussia.In 1933, while he was visiting the United States, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. Horrified by the Nazi "war of extermination" against his fellow Jews, Einstein decided to remain in the US, and was granted American citizenship in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential German nuclear weapons program and recommending that the US begin similar research. Einstein supported the Allies but generally viewed the idea of nuclear weapons with great dismay.In 1905, sometimes described as his annus mirabilis (miracle year), Einstein published four groundbreaking papers. These outlined a theory of the photoelectric effect, explained Brownian motion, introduced his special theory of relativity—a theory which addressed the inability of classical mechanics to account satisfactorily for the behavior of the electromagnetic field—and demonstrated that if the special theory is correct, mass and energy are equivalent to each other. In 1915, he proposed a general theory of relativity that extended his system of mechanics to incorporate gravitation. A cosmological paper that he published the following year laid out the implications of general relativity for the modeling of the structure and evolution of the universe as a whole. The middle part of his career also saw him making important contributions to statistical mechanics and quantum theory. Especially notable was his work on the quantum physics of radiation, in which light consists of particles, subsequently called photons. For much of the last phase of his academic life, Einstein worked on two endeavors that proved ultimately unsuccessful. Firstly, he advocated against quantum theory's introduction of fundamental randomness into science's picture of the world, objecting that "God does not play dice". Secondly, he attempted to devise a unified field theory by generalizing his geometric theory of gravitation to include electromagnetism too. As a result, he became increasingly isolated from the mainstream of modern physics. Life and career Childhood, youth and education Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, in the Kingdom of Württemberg in the German Empire, on 14 March 1879. His parents, secular Ashkenazi Jews, were Hermann Einstein, a salesman and engineer, and Pauline Koch. In 1880, the family moved to Munich's borough of Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt, where Einstein's father and his uncle Jakob founded Elektrotechnische Fabrik J. Einstein & Cie, a company that manufactured electrical equipment based on direct current.Albert attended a Catholic elementary school in Munich from the age of five. When he was eight, he was transferred to the Luitpold Gymnasium (now known as the Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium (Munich)) where he received advanced primary and then secondary school education.In 1894, Hermann and Jakob's company tendered for a contract to install electric lighting in Munich, but without success—they lacked the capital that would have been required to update their technology from direct current to the more efficient, alternating current alternative. The failure of their bid forced them to sell their Munich factory and search for new opportunities elsewhere. The Einstein family moved to Italy, first to Milan and a few months later to Pavia, where they settled in Palazzo Cornazzani. Einstein, then fifteen, stayed behind in Munich in order to finish his schooling. His father wanted him to study electrical engineering, but he was a fractious pupil who found the Gymnasium's regimen and teaching methods far from congenial. He later wrote that the school's policy of strict rote learning was harmful to creativity. At the end of December 1894, a letter from a doctor persuaded the Luitpold's authorities to release him from its care, and he joined his family in Pavia. While in Italy as a teenager, he wrote an essay entitled "On the Investigation of the State of the Ether in a Magnetic Field".Einstein excelled at physics and mathematics from an early age, and soon acquired the mathematical expertise normally only found in a child several years his senior. He began teaching himself algebra, calculus and Euclidean geometry when he was twelve; he made such rapid progress that he discovered an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem before his thirteenth birthday. A family tutor, Max Talmud, said that only a short time after he had given the twelve year old Einstein a geometry textbook, the boy "had worked through the whole book. He thereupon devoted himself to higher mathematics ... Soon the flight of his mathematical genius was so high I could not follow." Einstein recorded that he had "mastered integral and differential calculus" while still just fourteen. His love of algebra and geometry was so great that at twelve, he was already confident that nature could be understood as a "mathematical structure". At thirteen, when his range of enthusiasms ha.... Discover the Albert Einstein popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Albert Einstein books.

Best Seller Albert Einstein Books of 2024

  • Albert Einstein, The Human Side synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein, The Human Side

    Albert Einstein, Helen Dukas & Banesh Hoffmann

    Modesty, humor, compassion, and wisdom are the traits most evident in this illuminating selection of personal papers from the Albert Einstein Archives. The illustrious physicist wr...

  • Black Holes and Baby Universes synopsis, comments

    Black Holes and Baby Universes

    Stephen Hawking

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Thirteen extraordinary essays shed new light on the mystery of the universeand on one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time. “[Hawking] sprinkles hi...

  • This Explains Everything synopsis, comments

    This Explains Everything

    John Brockman

    Drawn from the cuttingedge frontiers of science, This Explains Everything will revolutionize your understanding of the world.What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful expla...

  • 109 East Palace synopsis, comments

    109 East Palace

    Jennet Conant

    From the bestselling author of Tuxedo Park, the extraordinary story of the thousands of people who were sequestered in a military facility in the desert for twentyseven intense mon...

  • Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein

    Rob de Ruiter

    This book is about some very nice quotes from Albert Einstein. The German born physicist who developed the general theory of relativity and was the winner of the Nobel prize in 192...

  • Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein

    Kathleen Krull & Boris Kulikov

    "Another standout in a uniformly stellar series.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review“[An] engrossing and remarkably accessible biography.” The Horn Book Albert Einstein. His name ...

  • The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein & Professor Ze'ev Rosenkranz

    The first publication of Albert Einstein’s travel diary to the Far East and Middle EastIn the fall of 1922, Albert Einstein, along with his thenwife, Elsa Einstein, embarked on a f...

  • Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein

    Nandini Saraf

    A Germanborn theoretical physicist who has developed the general theory of relativity; one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). Einstein's work i...

  • Black Holes synopsis, comments

    Black Holes

    Stephen Hawking

    The legendary physicist explores his favorite subject in a pair of enlightening, accessible, and cleverly illustrated essays for curious readers, originally delivered as BBC lectur...

  • Ideas And Opinions synopsis, comments

    Ideas And Opinions

    Albert Einstein

    A collection of insightful and thought provoking essays from one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth centuryA new edition of the most definitive collection of Albert Einstein...

  • Driving Mr. Albert synopsis, comments

    Driving Mr. Albert

    Michael Paterniti

    Albert Einstein's brain floats in a Tupperware bowl in a gray duffel bag in the trunk of a Buick Skylark barreling across America. Driving the car is journalist Michael Paternit...

  • I am Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    I am Albert Einstein

    Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopoulos

    "We can all be heroes" is the message entertainingly told in this New York Times Bestselling picturebook biography series, with this one highlighting Albert Einstein (Cover ma...

  • A Biography of Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    A Biography of Albert Einstein

    Tidels

    Tidels makes way for Exceptional Learners. With over a million books downloaded worldwide, Tidels empower kids to learn, read and explore the world.   Albert Einstein (1...

  • Einstein synopsis, comments

    Einstein

    Walter Isaacson

    By the author of the acclaimed bestsellers Benjamin Franklin and Steve Jobs, this is the definitive biography of Albert Einstein. How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isa...

  • Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids

    Jerome Pohlen

    Best known for his general theory of relativity and the famous equation linking mass and energy, E = mc², Albert Einstein had a lasting impact on the world of science, the extent o...

  • This Idea Must Die synopsis, comments

    This Idea Must Die

    John Brockman

    The bestselling editor of This Explains Everything brings together 175 of the world’s most brilliant minds to tackle Edge.org’s 2014 question: What scientific idea has become a rel...

  • Heroes for My Son synopsis, comments

    Heroes for My Son

    Brad Meltzer

    Since the birth of his son in 2003, bestselling novelist Brad Meltzer (The Book of Fate, The Tenth Justice, The Book of Lies) has been collecting heroes from whom his son can learn...

  • My Life Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    My Life Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein, (born March 14, 1879, Ulm, Wurttemberg, Germanydied April 18, 1955, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.), Germanborn physicist who developed the special and general theori...

  • Works of Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Works of Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein

    This collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access...

  • Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein

    Andrew Knight & TBD

    ALBERT EINSTEIN  Albert Einstein will forever be remembered as one of the world's greatest minds. His achievements are numerous, and his life story is an incredible one. Einst...

  • Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein

    Marie Hammontree

    Before Albert Einstein was an internationally renowned genius, he was a kidlearn all about his childhood and what makes him an allstar in American history!Albert Einstein is a hous...

  • The Albert Einstein Collection Volume One synopsis, comments

    The Albert Einstein Collection Volume One

    Albert Einstein

    Three captivating volumes reveal how Einstein viewed both the physical universe and the everyday world in which he lived. A century after his theory of general relativity shook the...

  • The Collected Works of Albert Einstein synopsis, comments

    The Collected Works of Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein

    This comprehensive eBook presents the complete works or all the significant works the Œuvre of this famous and brilliant writer in one ebook easytoread and easytonavigate: Rela...

  • Albert Einstein in Princeton synopsis, comments

    Albert Einstein in Princeton

    Adam Czaplinski

    This is an eBook that shows Albert Einstein’s life in Princeton, NJ. This includes a timeline of Albert Einstein’s life, his arrival in the United States, his residence in Princeto...

  • Be Fearless synopsis, comments

    Be Fearless

    Jean Case

    Be Fearless is researchedbased call to action for those seeking to live extraordinary lives and bring about transformational change.LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER NATIONAL BESTSELLE...

  • Final Theory synopsis, comments

    Final Theory

    Mark Alpert

    A science professor on the run must find a lost Einstein theoryand keep it from those who might use it to destroy the universe. Don’t miss the “riveting” (Publishers Weekly) doomsd...

  • Death Be Not Proud synopsis, comments

    Death Be Not Proud

    John J. Gunther

    "If courage is the antidote to pain and grief, the disease and the cure are both in this book. . . . A story of great unselfishness and great heroism." New York TimesJohnny Gu...

  • The Bastard Brigade synopsis, comments

    The Bastard Brigade

    Sam Kean

    From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping, untold story of a renegade group of scientists and spies determined to keep Adolf Hitler from obtaining the ulti...

  • The End of Everything synopsis, comments

    The End of Everything

    Katie Mack

    A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST THE ECONOMIST NEW SCIENTIST PUBLISHERS WEEKLY THE GUARDIAN From one of the most dyna...

  • Caught synopsis, comments

    Caught

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Jonah and Katherine come face to face with Albert Einstein in the fifth book of the New York Times bestselling The Missing series.Jonah and Katherine are accustomed to traveling th...

  • A Brief History of Time synopsis, comments

    A Brief History of Time

    Stephen Hawking

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How di...

  • American Sketches synopsis, comments

    American Sketches

    Walter Isaacson

    One of America's most versatile writers, author of bestselling biographies such as Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin, has assembled a gallery of portraits of (mostly) Americans that...