Bio

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany. He began his education around 1886 in Munich, as well as taking up violin lessons from age six to thirteen. Einstein graduated with a degree in mathematics and physics from an electrical engineering school in Zurich in 1900, but struggling to obtain a stable teaching post. In 1905 he earned a doctorate from the University of Zurich for his thesis, "On a New Determination of Molecular Dimensions." The following pair of Einstein's papers dealt with what we now refer to as the Special Theory of Relativity, in which he dealt with the laws of physics and declared that light moves at a constant speed. Einstein continued to work and study in the areas mentioned above, while also making important contributions to the quantum theory and also desiring to extend his special theory to involve acceleration. In 1908 he became a lecturer at Bern University and the following year he became professor of physics at the University of Zurich. He was appointed a full professor at the Karl-Ferdinand University in Prague in 1911. Einstein received the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect. Einstein died on April 18, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey.

Accomplishments

Einstein is known for many things, but probably the one physics equation that everyone knows is E=mc2. Among other things he received a Nobel Prize for his contributions to work on the photoelectric effect, was a professor at numerous universities including the University of Zurich and Princeton. His 1905 papers studied the behavior of light previously examined by Max Planck, and his studies led to significant advancements in Quantum Theory.

Views on Faith and Life

"It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure." -- Albert Einstein

Einstein's belief in God throughout his life seems somewhat complicated. Though he definitely believed in God's existence, his ideas on how God played a part in the world seemed to vary. Einstein was a very peaceful man, and in his years as a physicist, he constantly advocated the complete disarmament of nuclear weapons from the world powers, maybe because he actually understood their destructive power. The way Einstein looked at the universe seems to be summed up in the quote, "God does not play dice," in which Einstein recognizes the beauty and complexity that has gone into the comsos, and cannot believe that it was all created randomly.

Sources:
http://www.humboldt1.com/~gralsto/einstein/einstein.html
http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Einstein.html
Calder, Nigel "Einstein's Universe"

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