A Truly Beautiful Mind

A Truly Beautiful Mind

Analysis

·       The chapter ‘A Truly Beautiful Mind’ is a beautiful opportunity to peep into the life of one of the greatest scientists, Albert Einstein. The life story of Albert Einstein is a true example of a beautiful personality with a beautiful mind.

·       The story highlights that with unshakeable determination and unquenchable thirst for learning one can reach his pursuit against all odds. Einstein was considered to be and called as ‘freak’, ‘boring brother’ and good for nothing by his friends, family and teachers but he disapproved and shocked everyone by emerging as a scientific genius.

·       Albert Einstein passed away in 1955.  He devoted his life to scientific explorations and advancements and spread the message of world peace and democracy propagating for the formation of world government. Even fifty years after his death his genius reigns.

Summary /  Synopsis

§  Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on 14 March, 1979.   His head was too large and he could speak only after he was two and half years in age. Every one including his mother considered him to be freak. His friends called him ‘boring brother’.  His headmaster declared that he would never get success at anything.

§  He was fond of playing with mechanical toys and learning violin and later became a gifted amateur violinist. He went to school in Munich and was good in all subjects but he hated school’s regimentation and left the school. His next joined a school in Switzerland which was much liberal than Munich.  

§  Einstein was gifted in Mathematics and interested in Physics so he studied science at a university in Zurich. He was attracted towards his fellow student, Mileva Maric, ‘a clever creature’. They both fell in love.

§  At the age of 21, he started working as a teaching assistant and in 1902 he secured a job of technical expert in the patent office in Bern. While assessing other people’s inventions he worked on his brilliant ideas. He called his desk drawer as the ‘bureau of theoretical physics’.

§  In 1905 he developed his well known Theory of Relativity and the world’s most famous formula (E=mc2) describing the relationship between mass and energy.

§  Though Einstein’s mother didn’t approve Mileva thinking she is older than him and too intelligent, they both married in 1903 and had two sons. But the marriage wasn’t successful and they divorced in 1919 and same year Einstein married his cousin, Elsa.

§  In 1915 his General Theory of Relativity was published. It provided a new interpretation of gravity and an eclipse of sun proved it. Newspapers proclaimed it as ‘a scientific revolution’. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.

§  When Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Einstein moved to USA. With the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin Einstein warned American President against a possible threat of nuclear explosion. Americans secretly developed atomic bomb and dropped it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Being utterly shaken by the destruction caused Einstein wrote a public missive to United Nations and proposed for the formation of world government. Later he became active in politics campaigning against arms build up and their use.

§  Einstein died in 1955. He was not only a scientific genius and but also a visionary and world citizen.

Chronolgy of Einstein’s Life

14 March, 1879   born in Ulm, Germany

1894                    joined a school in Switzerland (at the age of 15)

1900                    employed as teaching assistant (at the age of 21)

1902                    started working as technical expert at patent office                              in Bern

1903                    married with Mileva

1905                    developed Theory of Relativity

1915                    General Theory of Relativity was published

1919                    divorced from Mileva

1921                    received the Nobel Prize for Physics

1933                    moved to USA

1945                    wrote a public missive to United Nations proposing   for the formation of world government

1955                    died and left this world

Important Question answers

Q1. Why did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?

Ans. Albert Einstein jokingly called his desk drawer at the patent office the ‘bureau of theoretical physic’. He used to assess the scientific inventions and theories submitted by people. These papers were kept in his desk drawers for study and approval. That’s why the desk containing theories related to Physics was termed as the bureau of theoretical physics.

Q2. Why does the world remember Einstein as a ‘world citizen’?

Ans. Einstein led a life devoted to scientific developments and advancements and for this purpose he broke the boundaries of nations and cities. He left his country as it was not liberal and conducive to creative and free learning. As a scientist he worked in Switzerland and USA. After Hiroshima Nagasaki tragedy he was utterly shaken and wrote a public missive to United Nations proposing for the formation of world government. Later he became active in politics campaigning against arms build up and their use. He also campaigned for world peace and democracy. Though he was born in Germany, he never limited himself to his country. When he died, he was considered to be a visionary and world citizen.