Contributions of Albert Einstein to Mankind

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Photoelectric Effect and Quantum Revolution
Theory of Relativity
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Albert Einstein is considered to have a pivotal role in the evolution of modern physics. He was honored with the Noble Prize in physics in the year 1921 for his contributions to theoretical physics. His initial contribution took place in the area of thermodynamic fluctuations which were put forward in 1905. The next step taken by Einstein contributed greatly to the development of other areas in physics and discovering of new theories and theoretical issues that still remain the most wonderful moments in the scientific world.

The contributions made by Einstein were beneficial for fields other than physics like medicine, earth sciences, agriculture, art and biotechnology. Different branches of science have faced the impact of the theories and theoretical approaches to the consideration of fundamental aspects of the scientific world established by Einstein.

Photoelectric Effect and Quantum Revolution

The 20^th century saw the emergence of two original ideas in physics that gave a new dimension to this field as an area of promising research and development for the future. These two revolutionary ideas were the theory of relativity and Quantum theory. Though the theory of relativity is known as the major theoretical issue established by Einstein, it is necessary to focus on his contribution to the development and implementation of quantum theory.

Einstein’s relation to quantum theory is his development of the idea behind the photoelectric effect for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1921. Einstein’s work on the photoelectric effect was based on plank’s idea of light as waves and black box radiation experiments. ”The general attitude toward Planck’s theory was to state that everything behaves as if the energy changes between the radiation and the black box occur by quanta, and to try to reconcile this ad hoc hypothesis with wave theory. Taking the opposite view, and going even further than Planck who limits himself to the introduction of the discontinuity in the absorption or emission mechanism, Einstein postulates that light radiation itself consists of a beam of corpuscles, the photons, is of high energy HV and velocity c where c is the velocity of light” (Messiah 12).

The photoelectric effect is described as the emission of energized electrons from the outer plane of a material (for example metal) due to the falling of light. In other words, when light falls on a metal surface the energy contained in light is transferred into the electrons present in the metal and the electron gain sufficient energy to move off from its orbit around the nucleus. He also mentioned the energy content present in various wavelengths of light and how it affected the electrons on a metal surface by the incident light of various wavelengths.

Einstein’s claim that the light is delivered through photons suggested that some energy is required to remove electrons from the metal surface, whereas this idea concerns only the photons that deliver red light are insufficient to remove the electrons from the metal surface. However, the blue light photons are considered to be able to cause emission. Thus, the comparison of photons of different colors of light led to some conclusions. In the case of ultraviolet rays, the energy content of photons is still higher that causes a large amount of energy to be transferred to the electrons thereby more displacement of electrons.

The theory of the photoelectric effect leads to the invention of many technologies like photodiodes, phototransistors, photomultipliers, Image sensors, Photoelectron spectroscopy, and gold leaf electroscope. Photodiodes are widely used in industry as a source of energy and as photodetectors. Photodiodes also at the same time has commercial importance, as it is used for the production of compact disc players, remote control devices, medical-related uses in computed tomography and in studying immunoreactions, and analyzing the rate of light intensity.

Photomultipliers are used in analyzing the disturbances in the emission of light, used in combination with scintillators for experiments, and used in medical instruments to determine the blood component levels. Multianode photomultiplier tube is used in flow cytometry and confocal microscopy for the detection of biological samples. In multifocal multiphoton microscopy, a recent advancement help in very high-resolution imaging of biological samples like tissue engineering products and plant protoplast.. Image sensors are used in digital cameras to transform light reflected images into electrical signals.

A solar cell is another application that has emerged from the theory of the photoelectric effect. “Solar cells, usually made from specially prepared silicon, act as a battery when exposed to light and then individual solar cells produce voltages of about 0.6 volts but higher voltages and large currents can be obtained by appropriately connecting many solar cells together. Electricity from solar cells are very expensive but they are very useful for providing small amounts of electricity in remote locations where other sources are not available” (Photoelectric Effect – Applications). Solar cells are already used in many countries with the initiative taken by the government to supply electricity to remote villages.

A photocell works on the principle of the photoelectric cell. Photocell is used in traffic management and it helps out in knowing the traffic levels in a city. Photocell is also used in the conveyer belt, automated doors and for thief alarms. Photoelectron microscopy based on the photoelectric effect helps in analyzing the composition of elements, studying the empirical formulas of immaculate compounds. X-ray photoelectron microscopy is used in various fields like medicine, biotechnology, agriculture. It is used in studying the surface structure and composition of plant and animal cells and the association of proteins on the cell surface.

Photoelectron microscopy has also helped in the study of various pathogens of plants and humans and it helped in revealing the physical and structural properties of these pathogens. The area of virology saw a main development with the advancement in electron microscopy and helped in studying the viruses that were of risk to both plants and animals. The basic idea of the photoelectric effect also influenced research in biological sciences. It was discovered that energy produced in plants is with the help of photon harvesting protein-metal complex called photosystem I and photosystem II.

Theory of Relativity

The theory of relativity put forward by Albert Einstein in the first half of the 20^th century is an important milestone that leads to the evolution of modern scientific developments. Though the initial idea of relativity did not originate from Einstein, his contributions nourished its growth and brought global recognition to the theory of relativity. His research that the movement of light has a steady nature in a vacuum and its physical properties in relation to motion opened up a new area of research.

He also revealed that the above properties of light did not have any effect on human beings and other living creatures as the whole solar system with earth included moves at a speed slightly slower than the speed of light. In the case of things moving at a speed closer to the speed of light, the theory of relativity states that such things have a reduced motion and will be smaller in length for a person having a view from earth.

The well-known equation that makes the energy equal to the energy to the product of the speed of light in a vacuum and the mass of the object is the result of the study, research, and experiments. ”When Einstein applied his theory to gravitational fields, he derived the ‘curved space-time continuum’ which depicts the dimensions of space and time as a two-dimensional surface where massive objects create valleys and dips in the surface.

This aspect of relativity explained the phenomena of light bending around the sun, predicted the black holes as well as the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB) – a discovery rendering the fundamental anomalies in the Classic study hypothesis” (Theory of Relativity – A Brief History). The theory of relativity stated by Einstein is a combination of ‘Special theory of relativity’ and ‘General theory of relativity’.

The special theory of relativity mentions the relationship between the state of rest and state of motion while the general theory of relativity is associated with the effect of gravitational force on particles in a state of acceleration. “The special theory of relativity by Einstein in 1905 can be justifiably considered the end of the classical or the beginning of a new era as it uses the well-established classical ideas of matter spread continuously in space and timed, and of casual or, more precisely, deterministic laws of nature. But it introduces revolutionary notions of space and time, resolutely criticizing the traditional concepts as formulated by Newton” (Born 1). The general theory of relativity gave a better understanding of fast-moving heavy body characteristics and also produced a strong base for Newton’s theory.

The research on characteristics of light from stars when passing near the edges of the sun during the time of total solar eclipse proved the theory of relativity in 1919 without any doubt. General relativity, when associated with the cosmos, disclosed that the cosmos is not changeless. The general theory of relativity gave a significant understanding of the mutual attraction between two orbiting neutron stars.

Einstein’s theory leads many scientists to search for the origin and evolution of the present universe and based on this theory many facts about the universe were revealed. The birth of the present universe according to many researchers is a product of a Bing Bang theory that took place over 13.7 billion years ago. The Scientific research by Edwin Hubin brought into light the concept that the universe is ever-expanding. The theory of relativity helped to describe the ‘Cosmological arrow of time’ and it related ‘future’ to the direction in which the universe is expanding.

The research on expanding universe and the entropy measures of the universe lead to the understanding of ‘second law of Thermodynamics. “The General theory of relativity demonstrates that time is linked, or related, to matter and space, and thus the dimensions of time, space, and matter constitute what we would call a continuum. They must come into being at precisely the same instant and time itself cannot exist in the absence of matter and space” (Theory of Relativity – A Brief History). Very recently in the year 2003, Robert Gentry developed some new ideas about the origin of the universe based on the Static space-time paradigm, a theory started by Einstein.

Conclusion

Albert Einstein initiated a lot of experiments in the world of science and technology. His contributions also lead to the development of many technologies that helped humans in the research field and basic things in day-to-day life like the microwave, television, laptop (LCD). Einstein had made an important contribution to the area of geology. He has supported and put forward many ideas in different subfields of earth sciences like geodynamics, geological catastrophism and fluvial geology. Geodynamics relates to the movement and formation of the earth’s surface that has taken place since the origin of the earth and gradually resulted in the present form of the earth’s crust. Einstein supported the Earth crystal displacements (ECD) theory formulated by Hapgood in 1958.

His ideas also put the base for the development of nuclear bombs in which he did not have any direct hand. Although his ideas date back to the 1900s it is still relevant and very much used to solve the mysteries of our universe. The theory of relativity established by Einstein has been greatly used by researchers to explain different phenomena in science; time correlation is one of the most interesting aspects of this theory as it makes people aware of different worlds that can be treated differently. The relativity of time and place have changed the concept of time and its implementation in physics.

Works Cited

Born, Max. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Courier Dover Publications 1962. Web.

Messiah, Albert. Quantum Mechanics. Courier Dover Publications. 1999. Web.

Photoelectric Effect – Applications. Net Industries and Licensors. 2010. Web.

Theory of Relativity – A Brief History. AllAboutScience. 2010. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!