Friday 19 April 2013

Learning points from Documentary films on Albert Einstein



I happen to take certain documentary films from Amol, a buddy in Sirohi DI. He is A Science Resource Person, so the full credit goes to him for opening my world into Science from Aeroplanes to Space to the Universe to the mind of Albert Einstein, a true genius. 

I was wondering if I should be sharing this piece of information as I might not be able to explain in the very Science language, or might not be able to articulate my understanding. Anyway, let me try my best.

Two documentary films on Albert Einstein that I watched:
·  History Channel Albert Einstein (complete)
·  The Mind of God - Albert Einstein's Unfinished Symphony

You will not believe this!
"A Nobel Prize winner to be who could not get a job"
Here was a (genius) college graduate who could not find a job. His father came to help but was unsuccessful and he unfortunately died before he could find him a job. Later, he finally got recruited as a patent clerk far from becoming a teacher Scientist. However, he did not stop his desire, his intelligence and knowledge from expressing by writing various theories of his own. 

His first entry into the domain of Physics:
He wrote about his "Special relativity theory" which went unrecognized for a long time until a leading Physicist of that time discovered it. The theory states that Space and Time are the same. How he came to this theory was through his mere curiosity and keen observation. He was traveling in a bus where he observed that the clock hanging on the street appeared to go slower as he moved faster away from it. So he came to a conclusion that if we travel in the speed of light, then time does not seem to exist.

This principle applies to Bicycle, Bus, Bike, Aeroplane, Train, Rocket and you name them. 

My take away - Consequently, it makes me think that the Time travel theory which I found ridiculous could actually be true. You just need a machine or a carrier that could be much faster which could bring you to the speed of light. I baffled for sometime as to why this information was not made simpler to me during my high school. It could have totally changed my perspective about Science and my interest in the subject matter. Those days, Science for me was to become doctor or engineer which were rather something I could not relate to myself. Had I been given this informed choices in a simpler way as to how I could understand it, I never know what could have become of me.

From Special Relativity theory to General Relativity theory:
Albert Einstein then could not agree with Newton's law of gravity. Newton law states that there is a gravitational pull from the earth and that is why we are not flying up towards the sky but sticking to the ground. He felt that if an apple is falling, there might be something that pushed it down, not necessarily pulling it.Well, Einstein observed keenly and imagined a man falling from a roof top. He noticed that he will be weightless. So, likewise, if a man is on a lift, he again is weightless and goes along with the lift. The reason he gave was that there is a curve on space and time( which he called Spacetime) and this is responsible for the gravity. Please kindly read about this theory as I am not able to articulate further due to its complexity. However, there still exist controversy on this theory, though it was proved. 


What catches me:
·  Theory builds upon each other so they don't exist in isolation. For eg, Newton's law is helpful in making Einstein's theories.
·  Each theory evolves in it's own right time and I believe Albert Einstein died before he could complete his Quantum mechanics theory because God does not want that piece of information be revealed at his time.
·  Einstein wanted to know the mind of God when he created the Universe and that was his foundation for looking answers beyond the world we live in.
·  He did not considered himself to be genius but was just curious. He said that God wanted us to find answers to everything and for that we have to think harder. He also said that when the solutions were simple, God gave us the answers.
·  His theories needed much time to prove and being a Jew living in Germany and the First World War and Second World War coming up he had gone through a rough patch. He was persistent and maintain perseverance. If you actually watch the videos, you will find how things work out just at the right time for him.
·  He is a true genius which everybody else could not be like him. So each of us is born with some gifts which we have to put its good use and contribute to the society. Our knowledge and gifts seem to be not just for us but for others.
·  He did not want to give up his last piece of theory when the Nurse asked him to stop at his death bed. He simply said that his task was not fulfilled yet. I believe his tasks were fulfilled and that he had given enough to the world and the future will do just well without him.
·  There are also other observations that I made but not related to Science so this is it for now.

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