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Running head: THE LIFE OF ALBERT EINSTEIN
The Life of Albert Einstein
Jason L. McLaughlin
Strayer University
Introduction to College Mathematics
MAT - 105 036016
June 12, 2009
Albert Einstein had a unique talent of thinking visually. He could see through a
mathematical formula to reveal the true physical world it represented and explained.
Einstein asked questions about the universe and the world around him. He wanted to

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know how things worked and how the world came to be. He was truly born to be very
curious and longed to figure out the universe that God had created. He would study
common everyday objects and known facts about everyday life and question how they
came to be and how they relate to one another. Einstein would utilize his imagination to
pose new problems that needed solving. He analyzed the cosmos to reveal new
discoveries about space, time, energy, and the speed of light. Following Einstein’s
findings that challenged those of Sir Isaac Newton, he arose to become one of the most
well known and famous physicists of all time. When asked of his secret for success,
Einstein himself said that he was merely passionately curious.
Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in the small town of Ulm in Germany to
the parents Hermann and Pauline Einstein. When Albert was born he had an elongated
head and at the time this startled his parents. Little did they know that this was the head
of a future genius. Later, when he was a toddler he was so late learning to speak that his
mother feared that he may be mentally retarded. Albert even displayed some unusual
behavior when he did begin to speak, such that resembled that of autistic children. Also,
as a young child Albert was known to display temper tantrums which became rather
violent.
Einstein loved to play alone as a child instead of with playmates. He would learn
about heat and force by running a small steam engine he was given as a gift. He built
elaborate models out of stone building blocks. One of his life long passions that began at
childhood was playing the violin, as he loved music. Einstein’s mother ironically
commented on his childhood experimentation by saying that he may one day become an

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excellent professor. Throughout his life Albert Einstein retained a child like quality that
some say contributed to his discoveries and his way of looking at the world.
Overall Albert Einstein did very well in school, which gave much hope for his future
success. In high school he was ranking in the top of his class, however he was a failure at
sports as he was not adept at being physically competitive. Instead Einstein loved to be
alone and read; improving and developing skills he felt were significant to his education.
He was often content to work quietly alone without others noticing him; in fact he
preferred it this way. Einstein had a habit of becoming completely absorbed in the work
he was doing, seldom being distracted by others around him.
Albert’s uncle Jakob Einstein introduced him to algebra at an early age, while he was
still in grade school. He coached him on the theorems and equations in an easy manner
that a child could understand. Jakob, who was an engineer, exposed him to many new
technologies in their home work shop. Also, Albert gained much experience exploring
and asking questions in his father’s factory. He was able to see many electrical and
mechanical devices that were new and cutting edge at the time, which was a tremendous
opportunity for a curious and budding young man. It is speculated that much of
Einstein’s development was due to his parents allowing him to learn and grow
intellectually in his own unique and solitary way.
Einstein wanted to escape from the authoritarian methods of his high school in
Munich, Germany so he developed a plan to leave for Switzerland, even before
graduating and receiving a diploma. He managed to get a letter stating he had an
equivalent of studies to graduate and got a doctors notice stating he was moving for

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health reasons. He desired to attend The Zurich Polytechnic School in Switzerland. A
family friend called in a favor from the school for Einstein since he was several years too
young to yet enroll. He was described as a child prodigy and of the importance of him
attending so skeptical school officials finally approved his application. Since he had
trouble with subjects such as French and Chemistry Einstein failed to pass the entrance
exam. As it turns out Albert had some trouble with memorization of words. After
initially failing the entrance exam at Polytechnic he went to Aaran, Switzerland to
complete his secondary education and strengthen his studies in the subjects he was
lacking in. He attended a cantonal school, which was an easy going liberal school that
had a low pressure approach to a student’s learning process. This school and the teachers
there opened new doors for young Albert and gave him the spring board he needed to
take his education to the next level. It was here that he improved his proficiency in
French and sciences. However, he became bored with his math and physics classes and
he felt he had little to gain since he surpassed his classmates. He often challenged his
professors and their methods and often performed his work in his own unorthodox
manner. Also this time allowed him to enjoy his youth in a way he could not in Germany.
In October 1896 a 17 year old Einstein finally enrolled at The Zurich Polytechnic
School. He had signed up for a program that groomed students to become an authority in
physics and mathematics. Albert’s field, theoretical physics was still growing and
developing in the academic world. Only a handful of scientists and mathematicians were
combining physics with math in their work. Much of theoretical physics was in the
experimental stage. Einstein was more adept at physics than math; however a

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considerable portion of his class load at the Polytechnic would include math classes.
Einstein would soon realize how closely related physics and math were in his studies.
Throughout his tenure there he was a prominent student who earned high grades in most
of his classes.
Einstein married his first wife Mileva Maric on January 6, 1903 soon after graduating
from The Zurich Polytechnic. They had known each other for several years and went to
school together. Mileva was very instrumental in his early work with checking his
equations and math for him as she too was a scholar of mathematics. Despite Albert’s
family’s initial disapproval, Einstein and Mileva were determined to make the best of
their lives. They soon had two sons Hans Albert and Eduard. Between 1902 and 1909
while waiting for a professorship Einstein began working at a patent office in Berne,
Switzerland. There he was able to analyze and see first hand the inventions that came to
him for approval. This was very important experience that helped fuel his inventiveness
and problem solving need. Later, he would develop some inventions of his own as well.
Constant working and solitary habits coupled with many disagreements began to erode
the marriage. Einstein and Mileva separated and eventually divorced bitterly. Einstein
married his cousin Elsa whom he had been in a relationship with for some time prior to
his divorce. Over the years Einstein’s relationship with his children wavered, often to the
point of alienation. Eduard developed mental illness and Hans Albert became bitter with
his father because of his extended absences. Over the years Einstein and his sons had
rocky relations, but when his sons were grown they began to return to him and rekindle
their relationships.

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Einstein wanted to unravel the mysteries that shaped and explained the universe and
natural world around us. He felt it was science that held the key to discovering the reality
of our existence. Albert Einstein had many discoveries and breakthroughs; the notable
one’s he is known for include the theory of relativity, unified field theories, and the
quantum theory. He was curious and fascinated about the perplexity of space and time.
One of his most famous equations E=mc2 came from study and connections between
mass and energy. Einstein came to believe that energy and mass were each one and the
same. He declared that an object’s mass is a direct measurement of the energy it holds
within. The equation that he initially used to explain his theory was L/V2 or L=mV2,
whereas L represented energy and V represented light’s velocity. Eventually, at a later
date this was changed to the more familiar E=mc2, replacing the L and V with E and C
respectively. The resulting equation explains how energy equates to mass multiplied by
the speed of light squared. This explains how a very small particle of matter can equal an
extremely large amount of energy if transformed.
General relativity explains geometrically how space time is actually curved and
how matter moves when affected by gravity. According to Einstein, space time and its
curve or warp affects an object’s motion through space. In turn these objects cause the
very curve in space time. This discovery brought about a completely advanced method of
viewing and reality. Einstein’s quantum theory of light proved that atoms truly do exist.
Also, the theory changes how we think of space and time.
Instead of testing his theories in a laboratory as many other scientists, Einstein
performed tests and calculations in his mind. These thought experiments resulted in

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solutions and discoveries that further baffled his colleagues and the world. He, for
example, would suggest the bending of light and how space could actually be curved
instead of flat plane. Other scientists and mathematicians were developing their own
theories as well and it is these views that Einstein later built upon. His theory of
relativity was based on the works of Lorentz, who developed equations that explained
movement. Einstein valued simplicity, which is ironic given the theories and concepts he
posed in his work. He wished to explain everything in nature in a consistent and
intelligent way.
Albert Einstein received the Nobel Peace Price in 1922 for work on the production and
transformation of light in 1905. He was also honored for his theory of the photoelectric
effect or the process of “the quantum leap”.

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References
Goldsmith, D., & Bartusiak, M. (Eds.). (2006). E=Einstein: His life, his thought, and his
influence on our culture. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Highfield, R., & Carter P. (1993). The private lives of Albert Einstein. New York: St.
Martin’s Press.
Isaacson, W. (2007). Einstein: his life and universe. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Neffe, J. (2005). Einstein. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.