Updated May 30, 2023
About Albert Einstein
Since our school days, we have all known the famous equation E=mc2. You must know too, don’t you? This is not all; the trail of his wonders has not faded yet. Albert Einstein is the most influential and outstanding scientist of the 20th century. To date, no one has surpassed his level of intellect and knowledge. He is a household name and an analogy of mastermind and greatness.
Do you know the autopsy doctor stole his brain? Yes, you read it right! Albert Einstein was a genius, and his curiosity to understand the functioning was desirable.
We will learn how Einstein’s theories changed the world of physics we see today. Let’s begin!
Top Theories of Einstein to Know
The top five Albert Einstein Theories are listed below:
1. The Mass-Energy Equivalence
The world is going towards nuclear energy. Countries are working towards becoming nuclear states to get command over the world. Have you ever wondered how a tiny atom of Uranium and Thorium creates tremendous energy?
Albert Einstein has explained the relationship between mass and energy and given the formula,
E= mc2, E is energy, and m is mass
A small body of mass is enough to release tremendous energy, like in nuclear reactions. Nuclear fusion and nuclear fission release powerful energy, enough to destroy an entire country within seconds.
Einstein beautifully explained the relationship between these two quantities in his theory.
2. Special Theory of Relativity
The theory of Relativity changed the complete perspective of physics. It discusses the inconsistencies that exist in Newton’s mechanics and electromagnetism.
You will not believe Einstein’s theory of Relativity is one of the most challenging theories of physics to date. The emphasis is on the relative motion between two objects at different times.
What did Einstein want to say? In simple terms, he wanted to explain the occurrence of two events simultaneously if seen by one person but may not be the same by the second person.
As said earlier, understanding this particular theory of Relativity is difficult; we have explained it to you in simple words.
3. The Photoelectric Effect
You can consider this theory a special one because this theory got Albert Einstein his first Nobel prize in physics. Still trying to figure out what the theory says; let’s explain it to you.
He observed it earlier but couldn’t understand it under Maxwell’s equation. The theory says when light falls on a metal object, the electrons are emitted from it.
These are called photoelectrons. Due to the release of these photoelectrons, the current is generated in the material. This is called the photoelectric effect.
The photoelectric effect exposed the particle nature of light, which was of a wave nature. After the theory, light established dual nature, particle nature, and wave nature.
Further, it led to the theory of the duality of light, proposed by Albert Einstein.
4. Quantum Theory Of Light
Quantum mechanics is another branch in itself of physics today. Einstein established the understanding of light as a pocket of energy. He proposed this theory which was new to everyone.
The theory of quantum, in simple terms, explains the nature, behavior, and pattern of matter and energy at atomic and subatomic levels. It is the foundation of all other theories of quantum physics.
This theory’s extension comes from the photoelectric effect we discussed. The theory of quantum has excellent applications in quantum computing and quantum cryptography.
5. Avogadro’s Number
Did just a school memory hit you in your brain? Yes, we are talking about the same Avogadro’s number we all had been rotting in the chemistry classes.
Einstein calculated Avagadro’s number while studying Brownian motion and the erratic motion of fluid particles. He studied the atoms very minutely and came up with this magic number.
This number sliced many problems in physics and chemistry. You cannot thank Albert Einstein enough for this number.
We know that learning this number in school was not easy then. But, honestly, Avogadro’s number calculation performed by Einstein to calculate the number of atoms in 1 mole of an atom, molecule, or element saved time.
If you are also Einstein’s fan, read about these theories in detail to learn more about them.