按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
vices 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“had 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。”
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—a really huge amount—of 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—enough 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’re just not very good at getting it out。 even a uranium bomb—the mostenergetic thing we have produced yet—releases less than 1 percent of the energy it couldrelease if only we were more cunning。
among much else； einstein’s 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 à 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’t exist。 einsteingave us a universe that didn’t 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’s 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’t even e close to finishing yet。
when the poet paul valéry once asked einstein if he kept a notebook to record his ideas；einstein looked at him with mild but genuine surprise。 “oh； that’s not necessary；” he replied。
“it’s so seldom i have one。” i need hardly point out that when he did get one it tended to begood。 einstein’s next idea was one of the greatest that anyone has ever had—indeed； 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。
“as the creation of a single mind；” they write； “it is undoubtedly the highest intellectualachievement of humanity；” which 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 “special” about the special theory was that itdealt with things moving in an essentially unimpeded state。 but what happened when a thingin motion—light； above all—encountered 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 early1917 of a paper entitled “cosmological considerations on the general theory of relativity。”
the special theory of relativity of 1905 was a profound and important piece of work； ofcourse； but as c。 p。 snow once observed； if einstein hadn’t thought of it when he did someoneelse would have； probably within five years； it was an idea waiting to happen。 but the generaltheory was something else altogether。 “without it；” wrote snow in 1979； “it is likely that weshould still be waiting for the theory today。”
with his pipe； genially self…effacing manner； and electrified hair； einstein was too splendida figure to remain permanently obscure； and in 1919； the war over； the world suddenlydiscovered him。 almost at once his theories of relativity developed a reputation for beingimpossible for an ordinary person to grasp。 matters were not helped； as david bodanis pointsout in his superb book e=mc2； when the new york times decided to do a story； and—forreasons that can never fail to excite wonder—sent the paper’s golfing correspondent； onehenry crouch； to conduct the interview。
crouch was hopelessly out of his depth； and got nearly everything wrong。 among the morelasting errors in his report was the assertion that einstein had found a publisher daring enoughto publish a book that only twelve men “in all the world could prehend。” there was nosuch book； no such publisher； no such circle of learned men； but the notion stuck anyway。
soon the number of people who could grasp relativity had been reduced even further in thepopular imagination—and the scientific establishment； it must be said； did little to disturb themyth。
when a journalist asked the british astronomer sir arthur eddington if it was true that hewas one of only three people in the world who could understand einstein’s relativity theories；eddington considered deeply for a moment and replied： “i am trying to think who the thirdperson is。” in fact； the proble