Towards the end of 1913, he was invited to Berlin where he was offered a job at the University of Berlin free of teaching obligations. As a mathematical addition to this theory, Einstein introduced his famous equation, E=mc 2, which he called 'energy-mass equivalence'.Īs a result of his 1905 papers, Einstein was regarded as the rising star of theoretical physics. This 1905 publication is known as the 'Special Theory of Relativity.' It introduced an entirely new concept of time and motion. One of these papers was developed from an essay he wrote when he was 16. While there, he wrote papers that would revolutionize the study of physics. Finally, in 1902, he accepted a position with the Swiss Patent Office in Bern reviewing patent applications. However, after a year of reading on his own, he passed the exam and spent four years studying math and physics at the Polytechnic.Įinstein had trouble finding an assistant professorship, in part because of the pervasive anti-semitism in Europe at the time. Einstein sought enrollment at the renowned Zurich Polytechnic but did not pass the entrance exam as a result of his poor French. When he was sixteen he renounced his citizenship in order to avoid joining the German army, and moved to Switzerland. To Albert, schools were like barracks and teachers like military commanders. But he was an independent thinker and hated the regimentation of the German school system. He also excelled in mathematics at 11 he studied Physics at the university level. No matter which way he turned it, the needle would always point in the same direction, much in the way Einstein’s genius and fascination with nature pointed him toward a life of scientific discovery.Įinstein’s mother introduced him to music, and he became a fine violinist.

Albert practiced turning the compass every which way, soon becoming fascinated by the new toy. When he was four and sick in bed, Albert Einstein’s father gave him a magnetic compass. Photo: Ferdinand Schmutzer, via Wikimedia Commons

Albert Einstein by Albrecht Fölsing