Introduction
A scientist is a person who observes natural occurrences, formulates a hypothesis, and tests it to develop natural laws. A scientist researches, collect data, and perform calculations to explain scenarios and manifestations in the constantly evolving world. The topic of a scientist was selected for this paper because of the significant role played by science in society. Scientists use evidence-based research to analyze societal challenges and develop explanations and formulas to overcome the challenges affecting the contemporary world. Analyzing community challenges and developing theories to understand and solve the problem is the sole duty of a scientist. Scientists play a critical role in society as they help develop solutions to real-life problems affecting the contemporary world by investigating the science behind occurrences.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is a German-born physicist regarded as one of the most outstanding scientists ever. He is remembered in the science realm because of his three main contributions, the quantum theory of light, the existence of atoms referred to as the Brownian motion, and the relativity theory. Although the relativity theory is considered his prodigious legacy, Albert had other numerous contributions which introduced solutions to the problems affecting humanity today. He revolutionized people’s understanding of space, gravity, time, and the universe (Murodova, 2022). As prefaced by scientists, the revolution in understanding space made it possible to discover black holes and the possibility of life on other planets. Einstein’s findings are the initial steps toward understanding life in space. All his findings could later be coined to one scientific approach known as the general relativity theory explaining the relationship between time, space, and momentum.
Early Life and Accomplishments
The scientist was born on 14th March 1879 in Ulm, Württemberg kingdom in the German empire. His parents, Hermann and Pauline Einstein were middle income families which forced him to school in ordinary schools in the region. Albert Einstein was raised in a family of a secular Ashkenazi Jews and had one sister, and received training on violin and Judaism. He started school at a catholic mission school in Munich and later transferred to Luitpold-Gymnasium, where he completed his studies before he left (Singh, 2019). He excelled in mathematics and physics from a young age as he found proof of the Pythagoras theorem at twelve (Singh, 2019). His passion for science motivated him to research factors affecting people’s daily lives. He was awarded a teaching diploma in mathematics and physics which opened up his research on the relationship between humans and their natural environment.
Einstein’s most significant accomplishment was developing the theory of relativity, which changed spatial studies. He developed the theory of relativity on 25th November 1915 (Mbagwu et al., 2020). Scientists in the era struggled to understand the theory as it was controversial (Murodova, 2022). The theory, however, remained relevant in space science, and in 1960, cosmologists confirmed that the theory offered the best explanation for the structure of the universe and the black holes. Other accomplishments that increased the scientists’ popularity are the Brownian motion and the evolution of physics in 1938 (Singh, 2019). His theories changed the way people viewed space and set the pace for increased research.
Paths to the Discovery
Einstein’s discovery of special relativity was not instantaneous but involved a continuous path that led to the discovery. The theory is a reckoning of eight years of hard work, research, and experimenting. He started pursuing the beam of light at the age of sixteen (Mbagwu et al., 2020). It took years of constant research and hard work to fathom the relationship between the environmental parameters. Investigating the velocity of light moving through a vacuum led to an exciting discovery that motivated more research and analysis (Murodova, 2022). He borrowed Maxwell’s electrodynamics to include magnetic and conduction in his research. He later cascaded magnetism to the movement of the packet of lights (Mbagwu et al., 2020). Combining the different aspects led to the relativity of simultaneity, the prerequisite for particular relativity theory.
Struggles Einstein Overcame to Bring Forth the Theory
Failures prefaced Einstein’s success, and it took resilience, passion, dedication, and hard work to develop the theory. He failed the entrance exam to join one of the Swiss Federal polytechnics, where he was to pursue his career. Further, his early childhood challenges made him a socialist in 1902 (Singh, 2019). The challenges, however, never affected his ability to focus on his research. One of his famous quotes is that while “logic can take a person from A to Z, imagination removes all limits to what a person can achieve” (Murodova, 2022). His resilience and persistence allowed him to use his imagination to succeed in his actions. Overcoming the hurdles to achieve the immense success indicates that resilience is fundamental for achievement in the contemporary world.
Summary of Einstein’s Background Science
The theory of relativity was Einstein’s main accomplishment in theoretical physics. The theory is based on two postulates, stating that the speed of light is always constant for all people observing it (Murodova, 2022). The second postulate states that when the observers move with a constant velocity, they are subjected to the same laws. In summary, space and time are relative, and motions are also subjected to a reference frame (Singh, 2019). Therefore, the laws applied in physics are constant all over the world. Einstein represented his findings mathematically that energy in a body is calculated by the body’s mass and the square of light’s speed (Mbagwu et al., 2020). The theory underscores that all objects with mass are likely to distort space-time. The mathematical presentation is given in the formula below.
Scientific Understanding of the Theory
Einstein’s initial hypothesis states that the laws of physics are valid for all bodies concerning time frames. When light moves in space, its speed remains content for all the inertial observers. However, if the observer changes the position or moves from a state of rest, there will be a relative change in the process. For example, when a cowgirl and a cowboy fire their guns simultaneously, an observer at rest observes the two bullets fired at the same instant. However, if the observer is moving toward the cowgirl, the shot from the cowgirl is observed first. The vice versa is true when the observer moves towards the cowboy (Mbagwu et al., 2020). Time, therefore, depends on the state of motion of an observer and is therefore termed relative. Since events taking place at the same time may be viewed to have started at different times based on an observer’s position, time can be manipulated using motion.
Before the development of scientific theory, the distance between separate events was seen to depend on the observer. However, the theory introduced time as the fourth dimension of determining distance. An experiment involving moving watches proved that a watch worn by a person in a moving rocket runs slower than a watch worn by a person at rest (Singh, 2019). The observation shows that time is not constant but also affected by motion. When two twins are separated, and one is forced to move toward space, an age difference exists as the one who moved to space appears younger because time reduces as a person moves toward space. Time and speed also affect the parameters of an object (Mbagwu et al., 2020). Based on the relativity theory and the relationships thereof, the mass of moving objects increases while the height reduces in the long run. Further, time can be manipulated whenever a person is in motion, and relativity can be used to achieve numerous relationships worldwide.
Conclusion
Albert Einstein is one of the world’s most influential scientists who made a change in the world of the theoretical physicist. Despite being born into a Jewish family, which put more emphasis on region, he beat the odds to emerge as one of the best scientists. His desire for science started at twelve when he could prove the Pythagoras theorem. His main achievement in physics was the relativity theory, which changed how people viewed time, space, and relative parameters that could be challenged. The initial step in the exploration was the basic formula of energy as a product of mass and speed of light. The theory has interacted with other physics theories developed by scientists. More research should be conducted on how the time can be made to be at a standstill to facilitate the performance of a given event. The ability to manipulate time can be a pertinent discovery in the contemporary world and help explore life on other planets.
References
Mbagwu, J. P. C., Abubakar, Z. L., & Ozuomba, J. O. (2020). A Review Article on Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. International Journal of Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, 10(3), 65-71. Web.
Murodova, N. (2022). Influential theories Albert Einstein. Innovative development in the global science, 1(8), 52-56. Web.
Singh, R. (2019). Albert Einstein’s interaction with Indian physicists-Theory of relativity and India’s reaction. Sci. Cult, 85, 71-84. [PDF Document]. Web.