FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: Steward Observatory Public Evening Series: The Astrophysical Einstein [10-24-05]

[Stan Gorodenski <stan_gorodenski@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

While Einstein has been my idol since childhood, I think it should be 
pointed out that he did not work in a vacuum. He stood on the shoulders 
of giants, as one expression goes, and there were other very competent 
people doing work in this area whose results he made use of - Lorenz and 
Minkowski for a few examples. He also, in his younger years before 
publishing his 1905 papers and the 1915 paper had regular meetings with 
other young physicist friends that he brainstormed with.  I am sure he 
used these sessions to cement his own ideas, run them by others, as well 
as incorporating the ideas of others. For example, I recall (my memory 
is not that good) reading that when one of two other associates did not 
show up for the usual evening meeting, him and the other person filled 
this person's room with cigar smoke and and did other things to the 
apartment to let him know they did not appreciate him not attending.

I now view Einstein as someone who, although obviously at a level much 
higher than me and many others, was just another one of those many 
bright young men, maybe slightly brighter and more motivated than most, 
who in their youth did some very monumental thing. But only in their 
youth, which seems to also apply to Einstein (with regard to _major_ 
accomplishments). I think things were going in the direction of a 
relativistic interpretation for physical results after the 
Michelson-Morley experiment and over time relativistic theories would 
have been derived by others (for example by Poincare?) had not Einstein 
been around then. He just happened to be around at the right time, had 
an ability in the right area (physics), and happened to work on the 
right theory at the time that had wide consequences. As with many young 
researchers who are gifted, much of their abilities and views are 
narrowly focused, and Einstein's objection to Quantum mechanics, which 
he could never accept fully, is an example of this.

My own impressions are not in concrete, but that is they way I view 
things now.
Stan

Jeff Hopkins wrote:

>Brian,
>
>You are correct. Einstein's Nobel Prize was indeed for the 
>photoelectric effect while he is most famous for his papers on 
>relativity.
>
>In 1905 he wrote three papers:
>One on the photoelectric effect
>One on Special Relativity and
>One on Brownian motion.
>
>In 1915 he published his work on General Relativity.
>
>In 1921 he received his Nobel Prize in physics for his work with the 
>Photoelectric effect.
>
>  
>
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