Physics in the Past
PHYSICS OF THE PAST
One hundred years ago, in a poky apartment in Bern, Switzerland, Albert Einstein, then just a 26-year-old patent office clerk still working part-time towards his PhD, published five ground breaking scientific papers. Each of these papers, written during Einstein's annus mirabilis , has become a "classic" in the history of science: On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light , which discusses optical photons and photoelectric effects. Molecular and New Measurement , which deduces the mathematical equation for calculating the speed of the diffusion of molecules. On the Motion of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat , which provides proof for the existence of atoms. Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon its Internal Energy, which proposes the idea for two-way transformation between mass and energy according to the special theory of relativity. On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies , which proposes a new theory on the relationship between time and space. This paper served as the foundation for the theory of relativity.
The contemporary physics revolution, based on the theory of relativity and quantum theory, has led science into a new era. Starting from this, human exploration has extended to the boundless universe, to the distant origin of the cosmos and to the microscopic structure of objects previously unknown to mankind. Contemporary physics revolution has also spurred revolution in life sciences and geosciences in the last years. All these have changed mankind's outlook on matter, time, space, life and the universe. Moreover, this contemporary physics revolution has also given birth to technological physics including nuclear energy, semiconductors, laser, new materials such as with superconductivity, and fostered rapid development of a wide range of new technologies that have changed the methods of our industrial production and our ways of
One hundred years ago, in a poky apartment in Bern, Switzerland, Albert Einstein, then just a 26-year-old patent office clerk still working part-time towards his PhD, published five ground breaking scientific papers. Each of these papers, written during Einstein's annus mirabilis , has become a "classic" in the history of science: On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning the Production and Transformation of Light , which discusses optical photons and photoelectric effects. Molecular and New Measurement , which deduces the mathematical equation for calculating the speed of the diffusion of molecules. On the Motion of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of Heat , which provides proof for the existence of atoms. Does the Inertia of a Body Depend upon its Internal Energy, which proposes the idea for two-way transformation between mass and energy according to the special theory of relativity. On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies , which proposes a new theory on the relationship between time and space. This paper served as the foundation for the theory of relativity.
The contemporary physics revolution, based on the theory of relativity and quantum theory, has led science into a new era. Starting from this, human exploration has extended to the boundless universe, to the distant origin of the cosmos and to the microscopic structure of objects previously unknown to mankind. Contemporary physics revolution has also spurred revolution in life sciences and geosciences in the last years. All these have changed mankind's outlook on matter, time, space, life and the universe. Moreover, this contemporary physics revolution has also given birth to technological physics including nuclear energy, semiconductors, laser, new materials such as with superconductivity, and fostered rapid development of a wide range of new technologies that have changed the methods of our industrial production and our ways of