How important was Einstein, really?

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    Einstein Important
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the contributions of Albert Einstein to physics, questioning the extent of his originality compared to contemporaries like Henri Poincaré, David Hilbert, and Hermann Minkowski. While Einstein is credited with groundbreaking theories such as special relativity and general relativity, many participants argue that significant ideas were already in circulation among the scientific community. Notably, Hilbert derived Einstein's field equations around the same time, and Minkowski introduced the spacetime concept, which influenced Einstein's later work. The consensus acknowledges Einstein's pivotal role while emphasizing the collaborative nature of scientific progress.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of special relativity and general relativity concepts
  • Familiarity with the contributions of physicists like Poincaré, Hilbert, and Minkowski
  • Knowledge of the historical context of early 20th-century physics
  • Awareness of the scientific method and collaborative research dynamics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the contributions of Henri Poincaré to special relativity
  • Study David Hilbert's derivation of the field equations in general relativity
  • Explore Hermann Minkowski's spacetime interpretation and its impact on physics
  • Read "Einstein: His Life and Universe" by Walter Isaacson for a comprehensive historical context
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, historians of science, and anyone interested in the collaborative nature of scientific discoveries and the historical context surrounding Einstein's contributions.

  • #31
ghwellsjr said:
Do you understand uncertainty?

Do anyone understand why c is constant without mention, that is the way nature works?
 
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  • #32
I have wondered just how clever E was. Other people have broken down wall after wall after wall. E (only!) did it 4 times. However the wall breaking E required a mind unlike any other!...

... The hole agument...E and Hilbert's their own verions...both were in a furious battle to arrive at the resolve it...not just deriving the field equations.

Eisnsten called the resolution of the hole "beyond my wildest expectations" - E had a deeper impact on 'our' understanding of spacetime than most people know.

B'jesus I was a a top condensed matter place in the u.k. and non of the staff had ever heard of einstein's hole argument.
 
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  • #33
Adel Makram said:
Do anyone understand why c is constant without mention, that is the way nature works?
I don't understand your grammatically incorrect English sentence.
 
  • #34
julian said:
I have wondered just how clever E was. Other people have broken down wall after wall after wall. E did it 4 times. However the wall breaking E required a mind unlike any other! The hole agument...E's version and Hilbert's verions...both were in a furious battle to arrive at the answer...not just deriving the field euations but resolving the hole argument.
Are you talking about a black hole?
 
  • #35
Phrak said:
As an examiner, or clerk he had a BS, did he not?
A little of both! Einstein wrote four papers in 1905: on the Photoelectric Effect (March), Brownian Motion (which some people believe to be most important), May, Special Relativity, June, and "E= mc^2", September, . He received his Ph.D. in June of 1905, after his papers on the Photoelectric effect and Brownian Motion but before his two papers on relativity! He was a patent examiner both before and after he received the Ph.D. His dissertation, by the way, was titled "A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions". His paper on Brownian Motion was derived from his dissertation.
 
  • #36
wall 1. Brownian motion - statistal physics
wall 2. special relativity
wall 3. quantum mechanics (Photo-electric effect)
wall 4 . General relativity.
 
  • #37
I have wondered just how clever E was. Other people have broken down wall after wall after wall. E (only!) did it 4 times. However the wall breaking E did required a mind unlike any other!...

... Now there is something called the hole agument...E and Hilbert both had their own version of it...both were in a furious battle to arrive at the resolution if it...not just deriving the field equations - christ any advanced undergraduate worth his salt can derive the vacuum field equations...the hole argument on the other hand...

einstein called the resolution of the hole argument "beyond my wildest expectations" - E had a deeper impact on 'our' understanding of spacetime than most people know. His smartness equals his reputation - it's just most people don't appreciate why.
 
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  • #38
julian said:
I have wondered just how clever E was. Other people have broken down wall after wall after wall.
Not in physics. The best that the vast majority of professional physicists can claim is making a tiny little chisel mark in a wall. The number of physicists who have broken down even one wall is a very small number. You can arguably use your fingers and toes to count them. The number who have broken down two: You don't need your toes any more. More than two: One hand will suffice.

E (only!) did it 4 times.
A better way to say this: Einstein did it four times!
 
  • #39
How does Einstein have conversations about quantum mechanics but yet he was not a mathematician. Also it is said that he thinks in pictures and not words. How can he write such papers?
 
  • #40
Flustered said:
How does Einstein have conversations about quantum mechanics but yet he was not a mathematician. Also it is said that he thinks in pictures and not words. How can he write such papers?

I wouldn't think you knew the guy.
 
  • #41
This thread has too little science content to remain open.
 

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