 closely mirroring (and exaggerating) his expressive face and distinctive hairstyle.
Einstein’s contributions to the sciences are immeasurable. When he began his career, scientists were still struggling to reconcile how Newtonian mechanics applied to an ever-widening universe. But thanks to his theories, we would come to understand that there are no absolute frames of reference, and everything depends on the speed and position of the observer.
His work with the behavior of light would also help speed the revolution being made in quantum physics, where scientists began to understand the behavior of matter at the subatomic level. In so doing, Einstein helped to create the two pillars of modern science – Relativity, for dealing with objects on the macro scale; and quantum mechanics, which deals with things on the tiniest of scales.
But Einstein’s legacy goes far beyond what he advanced in his lifetime. In attempting to reconcile his personal beliefs in a universe that made sense with his scientific findings, he introduced a concept that would later become part of our current cosmological models (Dark Matter). These and other ideas would go on to be reconsidered after his death, thus proving that he was not only the greatest mind of his time, but perhaps one of the greatest minds that ever lived.
We have written many articles about Albert Einstein for Universe Today. Here’s an article about the speed of light, and one about Why Einstein Will Never Be Wrong, and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. And here’s are some famous Albert Einstein quotes.
Astronomy Cast also has several episodes about Einstein’s greatest theories, like Episode 235: Einstein, Episode 9: Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity, Episode 280: Cosmological Constant, Episode 287: E=mc², and Episode 31: tring Theory, Time Travel, White Holes, Warp Speed, Multiple Dimensions, and Before the Big Bang