The collected papers of Albert Einstein, volume 1, the early years, 1879-1902 [English translation

This volume of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein contains the scientific work Einstein published during the first decade of his career, and includes some of the most significant achievements of twentieth-century physics. The first paper was written in 1900 by the twenty-one-year-old Einstein, newly graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnical School, or ETH, in Zurich and still searching in vain for a job. The last paper in this volume is the text of an invited lecture given in 1909 to a major scientific meeting by Einstein after he was appointed to his first academic post at the University of Zurich. He had already been recognized as an important theoretical physicist on the basis of the work reprinted here, particularly the three masterpieces that appeared in quick succession during 1905, Einstein's year of miracles. In one of these papers Einstein showed how one could finally confirm the ancient view that matter is composed of discrete atoms, and even measure the numbers and masses of these atoms. In a second paper, which even he referred to as "very revolutionary," he argued that the observed properties of thermal radiation suggest that it consists not of waves, but rather of localized particles of energy which he called energy quanta. The third and most famous paper set forth the special theory of relativity, solving some long-standing difficulties, but requiring a significant change in our understanding of those basic concepts, space and time. A monumental collection of all the documents, letters, and writings of Einstein--both scientific and personal. This volume opens in spring 1914 when Einstein takes up a research professorship at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin and closes with the collapse of the German Empire four and one-half years later. A good portion of the documentation, which comprises more than 750 letters, has only recently been discovered by the editors. The letters touch on all aspects of Einstein's activities and shed new light on his inner life, while enriching our understanding of his published papers, presented in volumes 6 and 7 of this series.The breakup of his first marriage and the divorce are presented here for the first time in all their complexity. New material shows Einstein's evolving political consciousness in light of the war. The scientific correspondence documents Einstein's struggle to find satisfactory field equations for his new gravitational theory, the general theory of relativity, and his continued discussion with many leading physicists and mathematicians about the implications and further development of the theory. v. 1. The early years, 1879-1902 v. 2. The Swiss years, writings, 1900-1909 v. 3. The Swiss years, writings, 1090-1911 v. 4. The Swiss years, writings, 1912-1914 v. 5. The Swiss years, correspondence, 1902-1914 v. 6. The Berlin years, writings, 1914-1917 v. 8. The Berlin years, correspondence, 1914-1918 Presents material on the young Einstein. In addition to Einstein's known correspondence and other writings from this period, this volume includes the relevant portions of third-party letters and other contemporary documents that provide additional information. In the spring of 1919, two British solar eclipse expeditions confirmed the correctness of general relativity theory and propelled Albert Einstein to instant celebrity. This title includes, the majority of Einstein's writings.