Why is Einstein so great?

[RolandCuthbert]

A lot of folks know Einstein’s e=mc2 equation. They know he was famous for his theories, but they don’t understand the equation nor do they understand exactly what he contributed to Physics.

So I wanted to shed a little light on his life.

1. Einstein did not win the Nobel Prize for his e=mc2 equation. Nor did he win it for General/Special Relativity. He won it for proving that light was a particle using a process called the photo-electric effect.

2. General Relativity is about Gravity. Special Relativity is about Light. Einstein released his paper on light, first. Then he released a more general theory about gravity later.

3. Einstein’s predictions about gravity and light are the current extent of our understanding of the universe.

4. His prediction about light, are not really about the speed of light itself. But about the speed of casuality. It is about the maximum speed of information which is the same as the speed of light in a vacuum. Before Einstein, it was thought that light or the speed of information was instantaneous.

5. His prediction about gravity has to do with gravity simply being spacetime curvature. Gravity is simply the effect that matter has on spacetime. Matter tells spacetime how to curve. Spacetime tells matter how to move. So in his theory, gravity is not a force. It is a path in space carved out that you have to follow.

6. His predictions on gravity and light have been proven right time and again. His theory predicted neutron stars, black holes, gravitational waves, gravitational lensing, time dilation, etc. He proved that there was no hidden planet near the sun to explain the odd orbit of Mercury. It was just that Newton’s explanation of gravity was wrong.

7. Even as Einstein is the best we have, many physicists believe his theory is incomplete. That’s why you hear theories like String Theory or Loop Quantum Gravity thrown about. The reason why is because one of the solutions to Einstein’s theories is the black hole. A quantum singularity where everything breaks down. There is no description for what is at the center of a black hole. We end up with an object that has no size. . .but has infinite density. There is a big problem with trying to prove Einstein wrong. No one has built a quantized description of gravity that makes any sense. Einstein is the cop on the block. He says there is no way to describe gravity by using small discrete measurements.

8. You will often hear that Einstein hated Quantum Mechanics or the theory of the very small. That is not true. Einstein was actually a major contributor to Quantum Mechanics. Einstein was pointing out one of the conclusions of Quantum theory, Quantum Entanglement. He was the one who made the prediction. He didn’t think it was true. Because it meant there was non-local communication. He has since been proven wrong. Quantum entanglement is real. But it took decades for someone to create a test to prove him wrong.

9. Einstein was such a self-critical thinker, even concepts he thought were wrong, ended up being right. He was the first to construct the concept of a gravitational constant that kept the universe from collapsing. He thought he was wrong only to be proven right decades later. He calculated Quantum Entanglement, he thought it was wrong, but he ended up being right. Even as his equations showed black holes in nature, he thought he would be proven wrong. Again, he was proven right long after his death.

10. Einstein wasn’t just a great scientist. He was a great philosopher. He was a great humanitarian. People think they can dim the accomplishments of his life by showing racist comments he made of Chinese people. I don’t submit that Einstein was perfect. Nor do I claim he needs to be a hero for everyone. But he is the foundation that all of modern physics is built upon. And it is kind of cool to know he also attempted to be a good person, as he said;

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein

[zagor]

Good post, but light was known not to be instantaneous prior to Einstein; it's speed was measured in the 1600's. He did show it to be constant in a vacuum.

[RolandCuthbert]

Ooops my bad. You are right. The issue was that Newton claim space/time were absolute and in that picture light could not have a constant speed.

But again, we are not talking about the speed of light actually. We are talking about the speed of casuality.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Great informative take...
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe"... Albert Einstein

[RolandCuthbert]

I remember that quote. He had to escape to England to get away from Nazi Germany. He was there to see the rise of Hitler. So of course, he had some choice quotes about humankind.

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

That he did

[Brainsbeforebeauty]

Thanks for mh

[dustybiker]

Didn’t he, like Shakespeare.. and a few others take from their apprentices? I vaguely remember either reading it or seeing a program a few years ago. About popular intelligent models stealing from those they worked with and calling the work their own. Some pretty good evidence too. If I remember the source I will link.

[BlacklightShade]

Very interesting! Something that I also found interesting is that he didn't personally believe black holes existed even though his equations predicted them. His own science proved him wrong!

[RolandCuthbert]

I think the prediction was so bizarre, he didn't want to believe in it. He proved Quantun Entanglement through the mathematics. But again the prediction was so bizarre, he didn't believe in that either. But we still have folks today who don't believe in either. When I make my post about black holes, you are going to see why. To say that a black hole is strange just does not do the object justice. A black hole is beyond our limits of understanding. I mean that literally.

[Still-alive]

good stuff. we definitely need more einsteins today especially with Climate change!

[RolandCuthbert]

It is amazing how popular being dumb and ignorant have become. The funny thing is the standard racists at GaG think they are smart. But at this point, we are talking about people who cannot be shamed. They don't even have enough self-awareness to understand how stupid they are.

[goaded]

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

― Issac Asimov, 1980

[KaylaD24]

I ent no Einstein but id say im not that dumb either more inline with Nicholas tesla thats his name right i dont remember but i know he knew a lot about electricity also im qwite well acquainted with space and theories of time how its relative in nature and how we are in the present future and the past all at the same time

[goaded]

There's a lot in there I wasn't aware of.

I've never quite understood the point of the C-squared part of the famous equation, isn't it just a very large constant, so the equation simply says mass is equivalent to (a hell of a lot of) energy.

[RolandCuthbert]

Yep, that's basically all. But he was the first to state mass/energy equivalency in a way that could be understood.

[maverick2022]

Really? I heard Einstein was a fraud that plagiarized all his science from other scientists. There was a documentary about it. Einstein was also a wife beater and a Marxist.

[RolandCuthbert]

You heard?

Haha!!!

[monkeynutts]

Einstein supposedly played chess with Oppenheimer, one of the games is posted on YouTube, otherwise he was a genius, supposedly he was a womaniser too.

[RolandCuthbert]

What the ass?

I missed that!!!

[Smegskull]

I find it fascinating that he kept going despite really not liking the logical conclusion of most of his theories.
Like science was an abusive girlfriend he kept going back to 😅

[RolandCuthbert]

Oh. I wanted to respond to this. That was one of his greatest virtues. He was never satisfied. He always questioned himself.

[doopayo]

That’s really cool, good to know !

[RolandCuthbert]

I thought you might dig the photo at the "Black" college. He inspired a lot of brothers. And still inspire folks from myriad of backgrounds today.

[rcljr]

Eh, who cares, as long as the light goes on when I open the fridge.

[Hanmakev]

Nerdiest douchebag in history right up there with Elon musk and John Hopkins

[RolandCuthbert]

Uhm what?

Our current understanding of reality is dependent upon his theories.

Period.

It is funny. Trolls stop in to comment. But don't possess any intellect to actually talk about his theories or the findings I list.

Y'all are like toddlers who take off all their clothes to run around naked, just to garner attention.

[Hanmakev]

Wasn’t trolling he was a nerd and a douchebag

[RolandCuthbert]

Actually, that is the textbook definition of a troll. Einstein is a nerd and a douche. . . after everything he accomplished. You aren't a troll. .. when you can't even articulate an actual criticism?

[Hanmakev]

I was most definitely coherent since your replies are mildly hostile and insulting sorry if it was stimulating enough for you

[RolandCuthbert]

It wasn't stimulating enough for a dead turtle.

[Anonymous]

wasn't he outlaw for german government

[RolandCuthbert]

Well yes, he had to flee Germany.

https://time.com/5684504/einstein-england/

During March–April, shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power, Einstein had publicly criticized the repressive policies of
the new National Socialist government; resigned from the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin; applied for release from his Prussian (German) citizenship; and found a temporary home
 for himself and his wife on the coast of nearby Belgium. In response, he had been relentlessly attacked in the German press,
 and his scientific works had been publicly burned in Berlin.

[Anonymous]

Coz he is a great scientist

[Vivaldi]

or was?

[Jouth]

He had the biggest mustache than tony and the boys

[Joker_]

He's not that great

[RolandCuthbert]

Thanks for that full-throated rebuttal.

[Joker_]

You are welcome