SUCCESS STORY
Albert Einstein: A Relative Success
By Taylor Huffman | Physics and Engineering Major, Chemistry Minor
Most people don’t think about it often when navigating to the closest Starbucks coffee, or to their strange uncle’s house, but the GPS in our phones, cars and many other devices are rather complicated systems. GPS, or Global Positioning System, is an essential part of today’s world. It is used for tasks from military surveillance, to tracking weather, to finding the fastest way home; but how exactly do they work? The GPS is a network of 29 satellites, each of which communicate with the others, as well as the device receiving the signal, most commonly, a smartphone. When the receiver sends its signal to all the visible satellites, they locate it by determining how far away each of them is from the receiver. Since the satellites are all moving very quickly, they need to have an extremely precise clock onboard so they know exact locations at any time. If the clocks on the satellites are not synchronized with those on earth, then the GPS cannot accurately determine location or direction of travel (DNews). Due to the fact that these satellites are moving so fast and they are experiencing different amounts of gravity, their time actually ticks at a different rate than ours. This is what Einstein’s theories of relativity describe.
Special Relativity and General Relativity are theories by Albert Einstein that relate perceptions of time to speed and gravity; both of which are experienced by orbiting satellites. Of course, if Einstein did not discover relativity, someone else must have been able to succeed in thinking of the same theory right? Well the author Malcolm Gladwell writes in his book Outliers that intelligence or hard work alone is not enough to be successful; lucky breaks, a disadvantage, and an opportunity are also needed. This paper is about why Einstein succeeded in creating his theories of relativity. Albert Einstein, one of the most famous scientist of the 20th century, succeeded not only because of his hard work and dedication to the field of physics and mathematics, but also succeeded because of certain lucky breaks he received, having some disadvantages that turned into advantages, and making the most of his opportunities.
Albert Einstein was born in Ulm Germany on March 14, 1879. The family moved to Munich after he was born. He lived with a scientifically minded family. His father owned an electro-technical firm that produced generators, transformers and lighting networks. His uncle, who co-owned the firm, was also an engineer (Illy). Einstein was born into a perfect mix of situations that allowed him to succeed in physics. These are some of his many lucky breaks.
Success is an ambiguous idea, but if we take success to mean wealth, then we can show examples of lucky breaks related to success easily. Let’s take Bill Gates for example. Bill Gates is a computing legend. A programmer, founder and previous CEO of Microsoft, and current richest man in the world. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell makes a case for Bill Gates’ birth date having a large factor in his success. Born in 1955, Gates was the perfect age when personal computing was an emerging technology waiting to be exploited. Bill Gates was not the only successful technology giant born around 1955 though. Paul Allen, Gates’ founding partner, was born on January 21st, 1953. Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955. Eric Schmidt, the chief executive officer of Google, April 27, 1955. All of these wealthy and successful people were born around the year 1955! There seems to be a correlation between birth date, and success in specific fields and Einstein was no exception.
Being born at the end of the 19th century was a lucky break for Albert Einstein. It was a time when scientists understood almost all of classical physics. Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation; Maxwell’s work on electricity and magnetism, energy; and optics could adequately describe most phenomena (Serway-Jewet). Additionally, Albert was born in Germany, a powerhouse nation in physics and mathematics at the time. The field of physics and mathematics made bounds due to German scientists including Gauss, Copernicus, Hertz, Kepler, and Kirchoff (Serway-Jewet). Germany set a high standard for their education in the physical sciences and mathematics and Einstein had opportunities to go to prestigious schools in science and mathematics. Another lucky break for Einstein was that he was born into a family with science education. His uncle was an engineer, who described his nephew as having something special about him. “Where I and my assistant engineer had cudgeled our brains all day long, the young guy figured the whole thing out in less than a quarter of an hour” (Illy 1.) Einstein listened to his uncle while working, and was able to process these complex ideas that his uncle was thinking about, and get an early start on his scientific career. In fact, he wrote his first scientific paper on ether in magnetic fields when he was only a teenager (Belanger).
Albert Einstein had the perfect situations presented to him to discover relativity. Because he was born in Germany during a time of decline of studying classical physics, which made room for a discovery in theoretical physics, as well as having a scientific uncle with who he could learn from in his young years, Einstein’s early years were filled with lucky breaks.
Jacob Barnett, a 14 year old boy, sips his Capri Sun juice pack as he listens actively in his college level physics class at University of Indiana Purdue. A trip to his bedroom at home would indicate that Jacob is anything but normal. Physics and Astronomy posters line his walls, and in places that are not covered by pictures of Saturn or Einstein, there are math and physics problems written all over and they even make their way to the windows. In the center of the room sits a series of physics experimental equipment such as a Van de Graaff generator, a telescope, and other complicated looking instruments. Jacob got all these “toys” from the money he made doing upper level physics research at the university (Mosbergen.) CBS News: 60 Minutes conducted interviews with Jacob and his parents. Jacob told CBS that he never forgets details, such as 200 digits of pi, backwards; or formulas in textbooks he read months ago. Barnett is a boy who has Asperger’s syndrome.
Asperger’s is a form of autism defined as a developmental disability characterized by “Qualitative impairments in social interaction… and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interest and activities.” Symptoms of this syndrome often include: intensely focusing on one idea or topic, higher levels of intelligence, and difficulty picking up social cues. Oftentimes, they also can remember every single detail of situations for very long periods of time. It is estimated that today, about 1:110 children have a form of autism, Asperger’s being one of these (Leather 1015).
When Jacob was two years old, the doctor diagnosed him with mild to severe autism. In their interview, his parents said that Jake began to “regress.” He began to speak less, avoid eye contact, and he started to live in a world of his own. His parents found that even at a very young age, Jake loved math and science. They began to let him do what he loved and in the words of his mother, “The more he focused on the subjects he loved, the more he began to communicate.” By letting Jacob do what he loved, Jake learned more and more about math and science. “By the time he was in kindergarten, age 5–6… he was light years ahead of everybody else. He would come home [from school] asking us “When am I going to learn something at school? I want to learn Algebra.” Jake began to teach himself math, and in fifth grade, he taught himself math concepts for all grades 6 through 12; all in the time of two weeks. This ability to concentrate on specific ideas, and his advanced mathematical education allows him to think at an entirely higher level.
This story is not too far off from Albert Einstein’s. He didn’t speak until three years old; and taught himself advanced math and physics because he did not like the idea of a formal education (A&E) Asperger’s could have been helpful, even essential to Einstein’s success in physics. Hans Asperger, the clinician who discovered Asperger’s syndrome, states:
“For success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential…The essential ingredient may be an ability to turn away from the everyday world, from the simply practical, and to rethink a subject with originality so as to create new untrodden ways with all abilities canalized into the one specialty.
This is probably the most important part of Einstein’s life, the way his brain worked differently from others’. Just like Jacob Barnett, Albert Einstein’s Asperger’s gave him an unforeseen advantage over others. Even though he had a mental disorder, he overcame his obstacle and used it to the best of his ability. He discovered relativity.
In the Swiss patent office where Albert Einstein worked, Albert would routinely meet with inventors and give an opinion on new inventions and determine whether or not to approve a patent. One documentation of an interaction Einstein had with a customer involved an “alternating current machine with short-circuit brushes and auxiliary spools for spark prevention.” In his review of the machine, Albert Einstein left not one positive comment. Instead, he said that it was “incorrect, inaccurate, and unclear.” He proceeded to give detailed requirements about what a revised application should look like (Illy 2.)
Albert Einstein was known for his brutal attention to detail, and experiences like this one were not uncommon for inventors coming into the patent office. It turns out, Einstein himself said that his work in the patent office was critical for his intellectual development.
“The work on the definitive formulation of technical patents was a real blessing for me. It forced extensive thinking and also brought important stimuli to physical thinking…For the academic career puts the young in a kind of constrained position to produce scientific works in impressive amounts… In addition, most of the practical professions are such that a man with normal abilities is supposed to produce what is expected from him… if he has a deeper scientific curiosity, he can immerse himself in his favorite problem besides his compulsory work. The fear need not weigh upon him that his efforts may work to no end.” (Illy 3)
In other words, Einstein is saying that an academically based career was important because he never stopped learning.
The patent office allowed Einstein time to think critically about how things operated. In fact, his boss, Friedrich Haller, taught him to think that everything about the incoming inventions was wrong. (Illy 2) During these years that Einstein submitted a series of papers to a German physics journal. These papers contained ideas, mathematics and theories about the photoelectric effect; Brownian motion, which proved the existence of molecules; and a new theory named “Special Relativity.” (Belanger) Einstein’s seizing of opportunities for working in Webber’s lab, as well as his job at a patent office allowed him to succeed in the field of physics. If he had not been giving these opportunities, Albert may have never learned to think in the special way he did, and in turn, never discovered relativity.
Due to Einstein’s perfect birth date, scientific childhood, Asperger’s mind, and work opportunities, Albert succeeded in theoretical physics by discovering relativity. By doing so, he impacted our lives far beyond of what most know. If the scientific community wants to make advancements in new fields of study, they need to study Einstein and other successful scientists, and follow a similar path. Areas of lesser education need to be helped so that anyone with the right mind can have the opportunity to learn and discover. More jobs need to be created where people think critically, instead of complete mindless tasks. Finally, we need to treat all people as intelligent human beings regardless of mental condition. If we take anything from the stories of Barnett and Einstein it is that nobody should be overlooked due to their mental state. If we can achieve these three things, then we have a bright future ahead of us.
Works Cited
A&E. “Albert Einstein.” Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 05 May 2015.
Belanger, Craig. “Albert Einstein: The Path to Relativity.” Albert Einstein 2006: 1–3 EBSCOMegaFile. Web. April 2015.
Carboni, Anthony. “DNews: How GPS Works : DNews.” DNews. Discovery Communications, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 May 2015.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and company Hachette Book Group, 2008. Text.
Jackson, Luke. Freaks Geeks, and Asperger’s Syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 2002. Print.
Illy, József. The Practical Einstein. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 2012. Print.
Leather, Joann, and Matthew Leardi. “Mental Health And Asperger’s Syndrome: What Clinicians Need To Know.” Journal Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment 22.8 (2012): 1014–1020. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 7 May 2015.
Mosbergen, Dominique. “Jacob Barnett, 14-Year-Old With Asperger’s Syndrome, May Be Smarter Than Einstein.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 May 2015.
Serway-Jerwet. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. New York: Cengage Learning, 2014. Text.
Yamada, Ayumi. “The effect of an analytical appreciation of colas on consumer beverage of choice.” Food Quality & Preference June.Vol. 34 (2014):1–4. Academic Search Premier. Web. April 9 2015.
About the Author
Taylor Huffman is a student at Bethel University from Woodbury MN. Huffman always looks for opportunities to learn from experiences. He likes to run, sing, and enjoys investing time in others.
What I've Learned
Professors at Bethel are on your side. They want you to succeed, and they can have fun while they’re at it.
Journalism is a profession that never has set hours. The job of a journalist is to hang out with people, then write it down.
Writing is an enjoyable activity. For years, I’ve been a capable writer, but I would only do it on command for school. Being a part of the “Writing Covenant” has allowed me to just write. Manytimes, our class would be asked to write about an experience of a certain subject, and I would not know what to write, but one of the number one rules of the class was to “Never stop writing, you are always thinking. Write what’s on your mind.” I took that instruction to good use. My mind would wander and I would just go with it. It’s fun looking back at my thoughts. That class may have started me on a path of personal journaling.
Speaking in class can be daunting, but for me, silence is even more so. In a judge free zone, why should I not share my thoughts?
My storytelling ability has increased. I decided to share a story in my church small group, and I briefly thought of how it was going to go before I spoke, and the story came really well.
I will not under-estimate the power of a story. Stories influence people and bring people to a different world.
People have ideas worth spreading.
Success is such a misunderstood subject. Even though we are standing on the shoulders of giants, we still have a lot to learn.
My love for science overflows into every aspect of my life. When choosing a research topic, my top three choices were all scientific minds.
I am privileged. I have been able to recognize my advantages given to me by my parents, grandparents, and friends; and I am trying to give everything I can into those I care about to reciprocate that privilege to others.
I looked into my family history to try to find out where I stand in relation to my relatives. Both my parents are educators, which would explain my love for learning. Both my mom and dad’s mothers were educators so I am curious about my siblings to see if one of them will go into education.
Summer is when the real difference occurs for intelligence in the American school system. I am going to read, and research and study over the summer as to make sure I do not lose any of the education that I worked so hard for each year. That may include journaling, constructing machines in my back yard, reading textbooks or trips to the science museum.
We all have enough time, we just many times have too many priorities.
Social skills are immeasurably important (until someone comes up with a test to measure social skills.) I recently got a job in a technology call center where I had no experience with computer troubleshooting, but the interview went well because of my personablilty with my interviewer. Now I have a job for the summer, and next school year.
I am thankful for my parents, family, and friends. They have my back, even if I don’t even think about asking them for help. I received a much needed care package from my youth group giving me encouraging letters and candy. Never under estimate the power of a familiar face, or a nice handwritten note.
I am not perfect at anything, even tasks I’ve been preparing for, or done dozens of times. I can always get better at my job, my studying, and my running.
It is important to recognize what aspects of patterns are the exception, and what aspects are the rule.
If you need help, ask for it, or you will have a hard time getting it.
Sometimes I take life too seriously. I need to randomly speak in bad accents every once in a while; let loose and dance and move like nobody is watching.
Where I’ve been guides me to where I am going. My experiences in school, and athletics have prepared me for what I am accomplishing today.
“ ‘Bang!’ The gun goes off and the 3200 meter race has begun in Taylor’s last high school conference meet. “Let’s see what I can do today.” Taylor pulls into fourth place up in the lead group. 6 laps into the race, runners bodies are dripping with sweat, mouths gaping, but they’re still looking strong. Taylor is now in third and begins to make his move to the lead. He pushes the first and second runner faster and faster, but they stay ahead. 300 meters to go, the second place runner makes another move to pass on the back stretch, forcing the lead outside to block him. Light on his feet, Taylor runs as silently as he can and slowly sneaks inside the lead runner. When he realizes his mistake, Taylor bolts out just in time for the curve to add to his advantage. Now theres only a half lap left, Taylor’s strong part of the race. Pushing his legs faster than ever before, he leans in on the turn, comes down the final stretch in front of his teammates and blasts accross the finish line a full 5 seconds infront of the second and third place runner.” Just like the training done throughout my life in track, my experiences in life can prepare me for racing to the finish experiences I am bound to have.
