EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity
Larry Lagerstrom, Stanford University
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E Einstein's Life Up To 1905 Notes taken on April 28, 2015 by Edward Tanguay |
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"annus mirabilis"
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phrase originally referred to
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the year 1666 for Isaac Newton
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in London at university
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outbreak of plague
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retreated to family farm to get away from plague where he
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1. laid his foundations for the theory of gravity
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2. came up with his theory of calculus
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because of these astounding discoveries by someone in his 20s, 1666 was called his "miracle year"
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Einstein at a similar year in 1905
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pathway up to 1905
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born in 1879
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youth in Munich
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father and uncle started an electrical business
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electrical lighting
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went to school in the German school system
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very rigid and hierarchical
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militaristic Prussian slant
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Einstein rebelled against this very strongly
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he had an anti-authoritarian streak in him
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at 16, renounced his Germany citizenship
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his father let him do this
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for several years he was stateless
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eventually became a Swiss citizen but that took several years
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later became a German citizen again, when he became famous and Germany wanted to claim him
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applied to Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich
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applied a year early, failed first time
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did well in science and math
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French was one of his weak areas
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Professor Weber
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told him to come back in a year
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one of the two primary physics professors at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic
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Einstein enjoyed his lectures early on
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later felt Weber was behind the times
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e.g. didn't include Maxwell's equations
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Einstein didn't address him as "Herr Professor Weber" but "Herr Weber"
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Weber said he was a smart person but no one can teach you anything
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met Mileva Marić
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Serbian physicist
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only woman in Einstein's physics class
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although many women in Europe went to Zurich since in many countries they were not allowed to go to study at a university
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originally she was going to study medicine
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they were essentially studying to be high school physics teachers
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not professors
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but there was a burgeoning electro-technic industry
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so needed high school physics teachers to train future workers
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1900 graduated
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grades were decent but tailed off at end
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relied on friends' notes to pass exams
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Mileva actually did not pass
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applied for jobs
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married Mileva
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caused family and career tensions
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Einstein's family did not care for Mileva
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she was Serbian
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very short
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not conventionally attractive
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defect in her hip, walked with a limp
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Einstein's mother had another favorite among his earlier girlfriends
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Einstein had impertinent tendencies
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Einstein wanted to get a position as a professor's assistant
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but he had antagonized Weber
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Weber had given him a bad reputation to his colleagues
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a poignant letter from Einstein's father to a Professor Ostwald at Leipzig
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my son feels profoundly unhappy with his lack of position
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read his paper and write to him a few words of encouragement
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1894 Einstein's father went bankrupt
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weighed on Einstein, father was more optimistic
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no record of a response from professor
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nine years later, this Professor Ostwald was first to elect Einstein for a Nobel prize
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1901 Einstein and Mileva romantic time in Italy
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Mileva became pregnant
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more anxiety for the young couple
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Einstein considered to go into insurance just to make money
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Marcel Grossmann
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actually went to lecture and took notes that Einstein didn't
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Einstein was often in the laboratories
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his father knew the head of the Swiss Patent Office
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electromagnetic industry
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an analogy with the computer industry in our time
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patent office was expanding in this area
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Einstein wasn't perfectly qualified for it
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1902 got job at Swiss Patent Office
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was able to continue to do some physics
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was in the city of Bern
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he and a couple of his friends put together the Olympia Academy
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would read and discuss books intently
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physics, philosophy, literature
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published a few papers
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but was essentially out of academics
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daughter Lieserl was born
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we don't know what happened to her
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she was discovered only in the 1980s
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not known during Einstein's lifetime
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might have died at age two from Scarlet Fever
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affected Mileva profoundly
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Mileva joined Albert in Bern
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1905 year he began famous
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published five papers