TED-Ed: Einstein's miracle year - Larry Lagerstrom

Albert Einstein, initially seen as a failed academic, revolutionized physics in 1905 with four groundbreaking papers. He proposed light could be a particle, explained Brownian motion to prove atoms exist, developed special relativity, and introduced mass-energy equivalence with E=mc^2. These contributions laid the foundation for modern physics and technology, despite initial skepticism.

What was Einstein's job when he published his groundbreaking papers in 1905?

• High School Teacher

• University Professor

• Patent Clerk

• Lab Assistant

What revolutionary idea did Einstein propose in his first paper of 1905?

• Light is a particle

• Atoms do not exist

• Time is absolute

• Energy is infinite

Which phenomenon did Einstein use to support the existence of atoms?

• Photoelectric effect

• Wave-particle duality

• Electromagnetic waves

• Brownian motion

What inconsistency did Einstein resolve with his theory of special relativity?

• The nature of light

• The existence of atoms

• The bending of starlight

• The constancy of the speed of light

What is the famous equation introduced by Einstein in his fourth paper?

• P=IV

• F=ma

• E=mc^2

• V=IR

When did Einstein become a world-famous icon?

• During his time at the Swiss patent office

• After the confirmation of his general theory of relativity in 1919

• After publishing his first paper

• Immediately after 1905

What event confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity?

• The invention of the global positioning system

• The bending of starlight during a solar eclipse

• The observation of Brownian motion

• The discovery of the photoelectric effect