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Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) — an outstanding German, Swiss and American theoretical physicist, founder of the theory of relativity, one of the creators of modern theoretical physics and recipient of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Overview

Albert Einstein formulated the special (1905) and general (1915) theories of relativity, which radically changed science's understanding of space, time and gravity. In 1911 he published a theoretical conclusion about the bending of starlight in the Sun's gravitational field and called on astronomers to verify it experimentally during a solar eclipse.

Crimea was to play a leading role in the first attempt at an astronomical verification of the General Theory of Relativity: in August 1914, a German scientific expedition led by astronomer Erwin Freundlich was dispatched to the Crimean Mountains.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • The 1914 Crimean expedition: Einstein personally supported the organization and funding of Freundlich's expedition, turning to Max Planck and securing funds from the Krupp foundation.
  • Error in the 1911 calculations: In his initial 1911 papers, Einstein computed an angle of light deflection that turned out to be half the real value (because the curvature of spacetime was not fully taken into account). The failure of the 1914 expedition due to the outbreak of the First World War saved Einstein from a premature refutation of his theory by observational data, giving him time to correct the calculations in 1915.
  • Views on citizenship and the theory: Einstein is credited with an aphoristic remark about the relativity of perceptions of his nationality depending on the success of his theory: "If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will declare me a German, and France — a citizen of the world. If this theory turns out to be wrong, France will say that I am a German, and Germany will declare that I am a Jew."