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in 1900； now a theoretical physicist at the university of berlin and at the somewhatadvanced age of forty…two； planck unveiled a new 鈥渜uantum theory；鈥潯hich posited thatenergy is not a continuous thing like flowing water but es in individualized packets；which he called quanta。 this was a novel concept； and a good one。 in the short term it wouldhelp to provide a solution to the puzzle of the michelson…morley experiments in that itdemonstrated that light needn鈥檛 be a wave after all。 in the longer term it would lay thefoundation for the whole of modern physics。 it was； at all events； the first clue that the worldwas about to change。
but the landmark event鈥攖he dawn of a new age鈥攃ame in 1905； when there appeared inthe german physics journal annalen der physik a series of papers by a young swissbureaucrat who had no university affiliation； no access to a laboratory； and the regular use of no library greater than that of the national patent office in bern； where he was employed as atechnical examiner third class。 （an application to be promoted to technical examiner secondclass had recently been rejected。）his name was albert einstein； and in that one eventful year he submitted to annalen derphysik five papers； of which three； according to c。 p。 snow； 鈥渨ere among the greatest in thehistory of physics鈥濃�攐ne examining the photoelectric effect by means of planck鈥檚 newquantum theory； one on the behavior of small particles in suspension （what is known asbrownian motion）； and one outlining a special theory of relativity。
the first won its author a nobel prize and explained the nature of light （and also helped tomake television possible； among other things）。
3the second provided proof that atoms doindeed exist鈥攁 fact that had； surprisingly； been in some dispute。 the third merely changedthe world。
einstein was born in ulm； in southern germany； in 1879； but grew up in munich。 little inhis early life suggested the greatness to e。 famously he didn鈥檛 learn to speak until he wasthree。 in the 1890s； his father鈥檚 electrical business failing； the family moved to milan； butalbert； by now a teenager； went to switzerland to continue his education鈥攖hough he failedhis college entrance exams on the first try。 in 1896 he gave up his german citizenship toavoid military conscription and entered the zurich polytechnic institute on a four…year coursedesigned to churn out high school science teachers。 he was a bright but not outstandingstudent。
in 1900 he graduated and within a few months was beginning to contribute papers toannalen der physik。 his very first paper； on the physics of fluids in drinking straws （of allthings）； appeared in the same issue as planck鈥檚 quantum theory。 from 1902 to 1904 heproduced a series of papers on statistical mechanics only to discover that the quietlyproductive j。 willard gibbs in connecticut had done that work as well； in his elementaryprinciples of statistical mechanics of 1901。
at the same time he had fallen in love with a fellow student； a hungarian named milevamaric。 in 1901 they had a child out of wedlock； a daughter； who was discreetly put up foradoption。 einstein never saw his child。 two years later； he and maric were married。 inbetween these events； in 1902； einstein took a job with the swiss patent office； where hestayed for the next seven years。 he enjoyed the work： it was challenging enough to engage hismind； but not so challenging as to distract him from his physics。 this was the backgroundagainst which he produced the special theory of relativity in 1905。
called 鈥渙n the electrodynamics of moving bodies；鈥潯t is one of the most extraordinaryscientific papers ever published； as much for how it was presented as for what it said。 it hadno footnotes or citations； contained almost no mathematics； made no mention of any workthat had influenced or preceded it； and acknowledged the help of just one individual； a3einstein was honored； somewhat vaguely； 〃for services to theoretical physics。〃 he had to wait sixteen years； till1921； to receive the award…quite a long time； all things considered； but nothing at all pared with frederickreines； who detected the neutrino in 1957 but wasnt honored with a nobel until 1995； thirty…eight years later； orthe german ernst ruska； who invented the electron microscope in 1932 and received his nobel prize in 1986；more than half a century after the fact。 since nobel prizes are never awarded posthumously； longevity can be asimportant a factor as ingenuity for prizewinners。
colleague at the patent office named michele besso。 it was； wrote c。 p。 snow； as if einstein鈥渉ad reached the conclusions by pure thought； unaided； without listening to the opinions ofothers。 to a surprisingly large extent； that is precisely what he had done。鈥�
his famous equation； e =mc2； did not appear with the paper； but came in a brief supplementthat followed a few months later。 as you will recall from school days； e in the equation standsfor energy； m for mass； and c2for the speed of light squared。
in simplest terms； what the equation says is that mass and energy have an equivalence。
they are two forms of the same thing： energy is liberated matter； matter is energy waiting tohappen。 since c2（the speed of light times itself） is a truly enormous number； what theequation is saying is that there is a huge amount鈥攁 really huge amount鈥攐f energy bound upin every material thing。
4you may not feel outstandingly robust； but if you are an average…sized adult you willcontain within your modest frame no less than 7 x 1018joules of potential energy鈥攅nough toexplode with the force of thirty very large hydrogen bombs； assuming you knew how toliberate it and really wished to make a point。 everything has this kind of energy trappedwithin it。 we鈥檙e just not very good at getting it out。 even a uranium bomb鈥攖he mostenergetic thing we have produced yet鈥攔eleases less than 1 percent of the energy it couldrelease if only we were more cunning。
among much else； einstein鈥檚 theory explained how radiation worked： how a lump ofuranium could throw out constant streams of high…level energy without melting away like anice cube。 （it could do it by converting mass to energy extremely efficiently 脿 lae =mc2。） itexplained how stars could burn for billions of years without racing through their fuel。 （ditto。）at a stroke； in a simple formula； einstein endowed geologists and astronomers with theluxury of billions of years。 above all； the special theory showed that the speed of light wasconstant and supreme。 nothing could overtake it。 it brought light （no pun intended； exactly） tothe very heart of our understanding of the nature of the universe。 not incidentally； it alsosolved the problem of the luminiferous ether by making it clear that it didn鈥檛 exist。 einsteingave us a universe that didn鈥檛 need it。
physicists as a rule are not overattentive to the pronouncements of swiss patent officeclerks； and so； despite the abundance of useful tidings； einstein鈥檚 papers attracted little notice。
having just solved several of the deepest mysteries of the universe； einstein applied for a jobas a university lecturer and was rejected； and then as a high school teacher and was rejectedthere as well。 so he went back to his job as an examiner third class； but of course he keptthinking。 he hadn鈥檛 even e close to finishing yet。
when the poet paul val茅ry once asked einstein if he kept a notebook to record his ideas；einstein looked at him with mild but genuine surprise。 鈥渙h； that鈥檚 not necessary；鈥潯e replied。
鈥渋t鈥檚 so seldom i have one。鈥潯 need hardly point out that when he did get one it tended to begood。 einstein鈥檚 next idea was one of the greatest that anyone has ever had鈥攊ndeed； the verygreatest； according to boorse； motz； and weaver in their thoughtful history of atomic science。
4how c came to be the symbol for the speed of light is something of a mystery； but david bodanis suggests itprobably came from the latin celeritas； meaning swiftness。 the relevant volume of the oxford englishdictionary； piled a decade before einsteins theory； recognizes c as a symbol for many things； from carbonto cricket； but makes no mention of it as a symbol for light or swiftness。
鈥渁s the creation of a single mind；鈥潯hey write； 鈥渋t is undoubtedly the highest intellectualachievement of humanity；鈥潯hich is of course as good as a pliment can get。
in 1907； or so it has sometimes been written； albert einstein saw a workman fall off a roofand began to think about gravity。 alas； like many good stories this one appears to beapocryphal。 according to einstein himself； he was simply sitting in a chair when the problemof gravity occurred to him。
actually； what occurred to einstein was something more like the beginning of a solution tothe problem of gravity； since it had been evident to him from the outset that one thing missingfrom the special theory was gravity。 what was 鈥渟pecial鈥潯bout the special theory was that itdealt with things moving in an essentially unimpeded state。 but what happened when a thingin motion鈥攍ight； above all鈥攅ncountered an obstacle such as gravity？ it was a question thatwould occupy his thoughts for most of the next decade and lead to the publication in