4.

A Truly Beautiful Mind

Truly

BEFORE YOU READ

• Who do you think of, when you hear the word ‘genius’? Who
is a genius — what qualities do you think a genius has?
• We shall now read about a young German civil servant who
took the world by storm about a hundred years ago. In the
summer of 1905, the 26-year-old published in quick succession
four ground-breaking papers: about light, the motion of
particles, the electrodynamics of moving bodies, and energy.
His work took up only a few pages in scientific journals, but
changed forever our understanding of space, time and the
entire cosmos — and transformed the name ‘Einstein’ into a
synonym for genius.
• Fifty years after his death, Albert Einstein’s genius still reigns.

1. ALBERT Einstein was born on 14 March 1879 in the

German city of Ulm, without any indication that he
was destined for greatness. On the contrary, his
mother thought Albert was a freak. To her, his head freak: a word used
seemed much too large. disapprovingly to talk
about a person who is
2. At the age of two-and-a-half, Einstein still wasn’t unusual and doesn’t
talking. When he finally did learn to speak, he uttered behave, look or think
everything twice. Einstein did not know what to do like others
with other children, and his playmates called him
“Brother Boring.” So the youngster played by himself

Otto Neugebauer, the historian of ancient mathematics, told a

story about the boy Einstein that he characterises as a “legend”,
but that seems fairly authentic. As he was a late talker, his parents
were worried. At last, at the supper table one night, he broke his
silence to say, “The soup is too hot.” Greatly relieved, his parents
asked why he had never said a word before. Albert replied,
“Because up to now everything was in order.”

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 much of the time. He especially loved mechanical
toys. Looking at his newborn sister, Maja, he is said
to have said: “Fine, but where are her wheels?”
3. A headmaster once told his father that what
Einstein chose as a profession wouldn’t matter,
because “he’ll never make a success at anything.”
Einstein began learning to play the violin at the
age of six, because his mother wanted him to; he
later became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining amateur: doing
this skill throughout his life. something for
personal enjoyment
4. But Albert Einstein was not a bad pupil. He went rather than as a
to high school in Munich, where Einstein’s family profession
had moved when he was 15 months old, and scored
good marks in almost every subject. Einstein hated
the school’s regimentation, and often clashed with regimentation: order
his teachers. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled or discipline taken to
an extreme
there that he left the school for good.
stifled: unable to
5. The previous year, Albert’s parents had moved to breathe; suffocated
Milan, and left their son with relatives. After prolonged
discussion, Einstein got his wish to continue his
education in German-speaking Switzerland, in a city
which was more liberal than Munich. liberal: willing to
6. Einstein was highly gifted in mathematics and understand and
respect others’
interested in physics, and after finishing school, opinions
he decided to study at a university in Zurich. But
science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the
dashing young man with the walrus moustache.

Einstein in 1900 at the Einstein in 1955 as we

age of 21. remember him now

A Truly Beautiful Mind / 47

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7. He also felt a special interest in a fellow student,
Mileva Maric, whom he found to be a “clever
creature.” This young Serb had come to Switzerland
because the University in Zurich was one of the few
in Europe where women could get degrees. Einstein
saw in her an ally against the “philistines”— ally: a friend or an
those people in his family and at the university associate
with whom he was constantly at odds. The couple philistines: a word
fell in love. Letters survive in which they put their used disapprovingly
to talk about people
affection into words, mixing science with who do not like art,
tenderness. Wrote Einstein: “How happy and proud literature or music
I shall be when we both have brought our work on
relativity to a victorious conclusion.”
8. In 1900, at the age of 21, Albert Einstein was a
university graduate and unemployed. He worked
as a teaching assistant, gave private lessons and
finally secured a job in 1902 as a technical expert
in the patent office in Bern. While he was supposed patent: a document
to be assessing other people’s inventions, Einstein which gives the
rights of an invention
was actually developing his own ideas in secret. He to an inventor
is said to have jokingly called his desk drawer at
work the “bureau of theoretical physics.”
9. One of the famous papers of 1905 was Einstein’s
Special Theory of Relativity, according to which time
and distance are not absolute. Indeed, two perfectly absolute: measured
accurate clocks will not continue to show the same in itself, not in
relation to anything
time if they come together again after a journey if else
one of them has been moving very fast relative to
the other. From this followed the world’s most
famous formula which describes the relationship
between mass and energy:
E = mc2
(In this mathematical equation, E stands for energy, m for mass
and c for the speed of the light in a vacuum (about 300,000 km/s).

When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it

seems like two minutes. When you sit on a
hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two
hours —that’s relativity. – ALBERT EINSTEIN

* * *
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10. While Einstein was solving the most difficult
problems in physics, his private life was
unravelling. Albert had wanted to marry Mileva right unravelling: starting
after finishing his studies, but his mother was to fail
against it. She thought Mileva, who was three years
older than her son, was too old for him. She was
also bothered by Mileva’s intelligence. “She is a
book like you,” his mother said. Einstein put the
wedding off.
11. The pair finally married in January 1903, and had
two sons. But a few years later, the marriage
faltered. Mileva, meanwhile, was losing her faltered: became
intellectual ambition and becoming an unhappy weak

housewife. After years of constant fighting, the

couple finally divorced in 1919. Einstein married
his cousin Elsa the same year.

* * *

[Link]’s new personal chapter coincided with his

rise to world fame. In 1915, he had published his
General Theory of Relativity, which provided a new
interpretation of gravity. An eclipse of the sun in
1919 brought proof that it was accurate. Einstein
had correctly calculated in advance the extent to
which the light from fixed stars would be deflected deflected: changed
through the sun’s gravitational field. The newspapers direction because it
hit something
proclaimed his work as “a scientific revolution.”
13. Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in
1921. He was showered with honours and invitations
from all over the world, and lauded by the press.

* * *

14. When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933,

Einstein emigrated to the United States. Five years
later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had
American physicists in an uproar. Many of them in an uproar: very
had fled from Fascism, just as Einstein had, and upset
now they were afraid the Nazis could build and use
an atomic bomb.
A Truly Beautiful Mind / 49

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15. At the urging of a colleague, Einstein wrote a letter
to the American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
on 2 August 1939, in which he warned: “A single
bomb of this type . . . exploded in a port, might very
well destroy the whole port together with some of
the surrounding territory.” His words did not fail to
have an effect. The Americans developed the atomic
bomb in a secret project of their own, and dropped
it on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
in August 1945.
16. Einstein was deeply shaken by the extent of the
destruction. This time he wrote a public missive to missive: letter,
the United Nations. In it he proposed the formation especially long and
official
of a world government. Unlike the letter to Roosevelt,
this one made no impact. But over the next decade,
Einstein got ever more involved in politics —
agitating for an end to the arms buildup and using
his popularity to campaign for peace and democracy. visionary: a person
who can think about
17. When Einstein died in 1955 at the age of 76, he
the future in an
was celebrated as a visionary and world citizen as original and
much as a scientific genius. intelligent way

Thinking about the T

Teext
1. Here are some headings for paragraphs in the text. Write the number(s) of the
paragraph(s) for each title against the heading. The first one is done for you.

(i) Einstein’s equation 9

(ii) Einstein meets his future wife

(iii) The making of a violinist

(iv) Mileva and Einstein’s mother

(v) A letter that launched the arms race

(vi) A desk drawer full of ideas

(vii) Marriage and divorce

50 / Beehive

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 2. Who had these opinions about Einstein?
(i) He was boring.
(ii) He was stupid and would never succeed in life.
(iii) He was a freak.
3. Explain what the reasons for the following are.
(i) Einstein leaving the school in Munich for good.
(ii) Einstein wanting to study in Switzerland rather than in Munich.
(iii) Einstein seeing in Mileva an ally.
(iv) What do these tell you about Einstein?
4. What did Einstein call his desk drawer at the patent office? Why?
5. Why did Einstein write a letter to Franklin Roosevelt?
6. How did Einstein react to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
7. Why does the world remember Einstein as a “world citizen”?
8. Here are some facts from Einstein’s life. Arrange them in chronological order.
[ ] Einstein publishes his special theory of relativity.
[ ] He is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
[ ] Einstein writes a letter to U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
warns against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb.
[ ] Einstein attends a high school in Munich.
[ ] Einstein’s family moves to Milan.
[ ] Einstein is born in the German city of Ulm.
[ ] Einstein joins a university in Zurich, where he meets Mileva.
[ ] Einstein dies.
[ ] He provides a new interpretation of gravity.
[ ] Tired of the school’s regimentation, Einstein withdraws from school.
[ ] He works in a patent office as a technical expert.
[ ] When Hitler comes to power, Einstein leaves Germany for the United
States.

Thinking about Language

I. Here are some sentences from the story. Choose the word from the brackets
which can be substituted for the italicised words in the sentences.
1. A few years later, the marriage faltered. (failed, broke, became weak).
2. Einstein was constantly at odds with people at the university. (on bad terms,
in disagreement, unhappy)
3. The newspapers proclaimed his work as “a scientific revolution.” (declared,
praised, showed)

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 4. Einstein got ever more involved in politics, agitating for an end to the arms
buildup. (campaigning, fighting, supporting)
5. At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled that he left the school for good.
(permanently, for his benefit, for a short time)
6. Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American
physicists in an uproar. (in a state of commotion, full of criticism, in a
desperate state)
7. Science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with
the walrus moustache. (interested, challenged, worried)

II. Study the following sentences.

• Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout
his life.
• Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science
with tenderness.
The parts in italics in the above sentences begin with –ing verbs, and are called
participial phrases. Participial phrases say something more about the person
or thing talked about or the idea expressed by the sentence as a whole. For
example:
– Einstein became a gifted amateur violinist. He maintained this skill
throughout his life.
Complete the sentences below by filling in the blanks with suitable participial
clauses. The information that has to be used in the phrases is provided as a
sentence in brackets.

1. , the firefighters finally put out the fire. (They worked

round the clock.)

2. She watched the sunset above the mountain, (She noticed

the colours blending softly into one another.)

3. The excited horse pawed the ground rapidly, (While it

neighed continually.)

4. , I found myself in Bangalore, instead of Benaras. (I had

taken the wrong train.)

5. , I was desperate to get to the bathroom. (I had not bathed

for two days)

6. The stone steps, needed to be replaced. (They were worn

down).

7. The actor received hundreds of letters from his fans,

(They asked him to send them his photograph.)

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Writing Newspaper Reports
Here are some notes which you could use to write a report.
21 August 2005 — original handwritten manuscript of Albert Einstein
unearthed — by student Rowdy Boeynik in the University of the
Netherlands — Boeynik researching papers — papers belonging to an
old friend of Einstein — fingerprints of Einstein on these papers —
16-page document dated 1924 — Einstein’s work on this last theory —
behaviour of atoms at low temperature — now known as the Bose-Einstein
condensation — the manuscript to be kept at Leyden University where
Einstein got the Nobel Prize.
Write a report which has four paragraphs, one each on:
• What was unearthed.
• Who unearthed it and when.
• What the document contained.
• Where it will be kept.
Your report could begin like this:

Student Unearths Einstein Manuscript

21 AUGUST 2005. An original handwritten Albert Einstein manuscript
has been unearthed at a university in the Netherlands . ..

Dictation
Your teacher will dictate these paragraphs to you. Write down the paragraphs
with correct punctuation marks.

In 1931 Charlie Chaplin invited Albert Einstein, who was visiting Hollywood,
to a private screening of his new film, City Lights. As the two men drove into
town together, passersby waved and cheered. Chaplin turned to his guest and
explained: “The people are applauding you because none of them understands
you and applauding me because everybody understands me.”

One of Einstein’s colleagues asked him for his telephone number one
day. Einstein reached for a telephone directory and looked it up. “You don’t
remember your own number?” the man asked, startled.
“No,” Einstein answered. “Why should I memorise something I can so
easily get from a book?” (In fact, Einstein claimed never to memorise anything
which could be looked up in less than two minutes.)

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 No Men Are FForeign
oreign

Have you ever thought of some people as strange, or other

countries as ‘foreign’? We have many ways of thinking of
other people as different from ‘us’, as ‘them.’ ‘ They’ may
belong to a different country, or speak a different language.
In this poem, however, the poet reminds us of the many ways
in which we are all the same — for we are all human.

Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign

Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes
Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon
Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.

They, too, aware of sun and air and water,

Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d.
Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read
A labour not different from our own.

Remember they have eyes like ours that wake

Or sleep, and strength that can be won
By love. In every land is common life
That all can recognise and understand.

Let us remember, whenever we are told

To hate our brothers, it is ourselves
That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.
Remember, we who take arms against each other

It is the human earth that we defile.

Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence
Of air that is everywhere our own,
Remember, no men are foreign, and no countries strange.

JAMES KIRKUP

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GLOSSARY
dispossess: dislodge; deprive
defile: make dirty; pollute
outrage the innocence of: violate the purity of

Thinking about the Poem

1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms . . .” What uniforms do you think the poet is
speaking about?
(ii) How does the poet suggest that all people on earth are the same?
2. In stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
3. How many common features can you find in stanza 2 ? Pick out the words.
4. “... whenever we are told to hate our brothers ...” When do you think this
happens? Why? Who ‘tells’ us? Should we do as we are told at such times?
What does the poet say?

I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but

of the world.
SOCRATES

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