Proving Einstein Right

A thrilling adventure story chronicling the perilous journey of the scientists who set out to prove the theory of relativity--the results of which catapulted Albert Einstein to fame and forever changed our understanding of the universe. In 1911, a relatively unknown physicist named Albert Einstein published his preliminary theory of gravity. But it hadn't been tested. To do that, he needed a photograph of starlight as it passed the sun during a total solar eclipse. So began a nearly decade-long quest by seven determined astronomers from observatories in four countries, who traveled the world during five eclipses to capture the elusive sight. Over the years, they faced thunderstorms, the ravages of a world war, lost equipment, and local superstitions. Finally, in May of 1919, British expeditions to northern Brazil and the island of Príncipe managed to photograph the stars, confirming Einstein's theory. At its heart, this is a story of frustration, faith, and ultimate victory--and of the scientists whose efforts helped build the framework for the big bang theory, catapulted Einstein to international fame, and shook the foundation of physics.

The true story of the epic journey to scientifically prove the Theory of Relativity, which would catapult Albert Einstein to fame and forever change our understanding of how the universe came into being. In 1916, a nearly unknown German-born theoretical physicist named Albert Einstein had developed his theory of relativity, but hadn't yet been able to prove it. The only way to do that was through the clear view and measurement of a solar eclipse. In May of 1919, one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 20th century was visible for almost seven minutes in the Southern Hemisphere. And so, two teams of intrepid astronomers set out on a treacherous journey-one to a remote town in Brazil, the other to the small African island of Principe. Their task was to answer the question: during the eclipse, would the stars' light waves follow Newton's law of gravitation, or Einstein's new theory of relativity' Proving Einstein Right is an epic chronicle of this decade-long mission. Hindered by everything from cloudy weather to world war, and traveling halfway around the globe, four men observed a solar eclipse that would catapult Albert Einstein to fame, set the framework for the Big Bang theory, and forever change the way we look at the universe.

A thrilling adventure story chronicling the perilous journey of the scientists who set out to prove the theory of relativity--the results of which catapulted Albert Einstein to fame and forever changed our understanding of the universe. In 1911, a relatively unknown physicist named Albert Einstein published his preliminary theory of gravity. But it hadn't been tested. To do that, he needed a photograph of starlight as it passed the sun during a total solar eclipse. So began a nearly decade-long quest by seven determined astronomers from observatories in four countries, who traveled the world during five eclipses to capture the elusive sight. Over the years, they faced thunderstorms, the ravages of a world war, lost equipment, and local superstitions. Finally, in May of 1919, British expeditions to northern Brazil and the island of Príncipe managed to photograph the stars, confirming Einstein's theory. At its heart, this is a story of frustration, faith, and ultimate victory--and of the scientists whose efforts helped build the framework for the big bang theory, catapulted Einstein to international fame, and shook the foundation of physics.

All modern books on Einstein emphasize the genius of his relativity theory and the corresponding corrections and extensions of the ancient space–time concept. However, Einstein’s opposition to the use of probability in the laws of nature and particularly in the laws of quantum mechanics is criticized and often portrayed as outdated. The author of Einstein Was Right! takes a unique view and shows that Einstein created a "Trojan horse" ready to unleash forces against the use of probability as a basis for the laws of nature. Einstein warned that the use of probability would, in the final analysis, lead to spooky actions and mysterious instantaneous influences at a distance. John Bell pulled Einstein’s Trojan horse into the castle of physics. He developed a theory that together with experimental results of Aspect, Zeilinger, and others "proves" the existence of quantum nonlocalities, or instantaneous influences. These have indeed the nature of what Einstein labeled spooky. Einstein Was Right! shows that Bell was not aware of the special role that time and space–time play in any rigorous probability theory. As a consequence, his formalism is not general enough to be applied to the Aspect–Zeilinger type of experiments and his conclusions about the existence of instantaneous influences at a distance are incorrect. This fact suggests a worldview that is less optimistic about claims that teleportation and influences at a distance could open new horizons and provide the possibility of quantum computing. On the positive side, however, and as compensation, we are assured that the space–time picture of humankind developed over millions of years and perfected by Einstein is still able to cope with the phenomena that nature presents us on the atomic and sub-atomic level and that the "quantum weirdness" may be explainable and understandable after all.

“This gracefully written history of twentieth-century gravity research” brings to life the discoveries and developments that confirmed the theory of relativity (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Albert Einstein did nothing of note on May 29, 1919, yet that is when he became immortal. On that day, astronomer Arthur Eddington and his team observed a solar eclipse and found something extraordinary: gravity bends light, just as Einstein predicted. The finding confirmed the theory of general relativity, fundamentally changing our understanding of space and time. A century later, the Event Horizon Telescope examined the space surrounding Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, to determine whether Einstein was right on the details. In Gravity’s Century, award-winning science writer Ron Cowen brings to life the incredible scientific journey between these two events and sheds light on their groundbreaking implications. From the development of radio telescopes to the discovery of black holes and quasars, and the still-unresolved place of gravity in quantum theory, Cowen breaks down the physics in clear and approachable language. Gravity’s Century vividly demonstrates how the quest to understand gravity is really the quest to comprehend the universe./

“What Bodanis does brilliantly is to give us a feel for Einstein as a person. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that does this as well” (Popular Science). In this “fascinating” biography, the acclaimed author of E=mc2 reveals that in spite of his indisputable brilliance, Albert Einstein found himself ignored by most working scientists during the final decades of his life, his ideas opposed by even his closest friends (Forbes). How did this happen? Einstein revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos with his general theory of relativity, and helped lead us into the atomic age. This book goes beyond his remarkable intellect and accomplishments to examine the man himself, from the skeptical, erratic student to the world’s greatest physicist to the fallen-from-grace celebrity. An intimate biography that “imparts fresh insight into the genius—and failures—of the 20th century’s most celebrated scientist,” Einstein’s Greatest Mistake reveals what we owe Einstein today—and how much more he might have achieved if not for his all-too-human flaws (Publishers Weekly). Named a Science Book of the Year by the Sunday Times and one of the Top Five Science Books of 2016 by ABC News Australia, this unique book “offers a window onto Einstein’s achievements and missteps, as well as his life—his friendships, his complicated love life (two marriages, many affairs) and his isolation from other scientists at the end of his life” (BookPage).

"Stanley is a storyteller par excellence."--The Washington Post Kirkus Review starred review; Publishers Weekly starred review; Booklist starred review The birth of a world-changing idea in the middle of a bloodbath Einstein’s War is a riveting exploration of both the beauty of scientific creativity and enduring horrors of human nature. These two great forces battle in a story that culminates with a victory now a century old, the mind-bending theory of general relativity. Few recognize how the Great War, the industrialized slaughter that bled Europe from 1914 to 1918, shaped Einstein’s life and work. While Einstein never held a rifle, he formulated general relativity blockaded in Berlin, literally starving. He lost fifty pounds in three months, unable to communicate with his most important colleagues. Some of those colleagues fought against rabid nationalism; others were busy inventing chemical warfare—being a scientist trapped you in the power plays of empire. Meanwhile, Einstein struggled to craft relativity and persuade the world that it was correct. This was, after all, the first complete revision of our conception of the universe since Isaac Newton, and its victory was far from sure. Scientists seeking to confirm Einstein’s ideas were arrested as spies. Technical journals were banned as enemy propaganda. Colleagues died in the trenches. Einstein was separated from his most crucial ally by barbed wire and U-boats. This ally was the Quaker astronomer and Cambridge don A. S. Eddington, who would go on to convince the world of the truth of relativity and the greatness of Einstein. In May of 1919, when Europe was still in chaos from the war, Eddington led a globe-spanning expedition to catch a fleeting solar eclipse for a rare opportunity to confirm Einstein’s bold prediction that light has weight. It was the result of this expedition—the proof of relativity, as many saw it—that put Einstein on front pages around the world. Matthew Stanley’s epic tale is a celebration of how bigotry and nationalism can be defeated and of what science can offer when they are.

It is a widely known but little considered fact that Albert Einstein and Kurt Godel were best friends for the last decade and a half of Einstein's life. The two walked home together from Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study every day; they shared ideas about physics, philosophy, politics, and the lost world of German science in which they had grown up. By 1949, Godel had produced a remarkable proof: In any universe described by the Theory of Relativity, time cannot exist . Einstein endorsed this result-reluctantly, since it decisively overthrew the classical world-view to which he was committed. But he could find no way to refute it, and in the half-century since then, neither has anyone else. Even more remarkable than this stunning discovery, however, was what happened afterward: nothing. Cosmologists and philosophers alike have proceeded with their work as if Godel's proof never existed -one of the greatest scandals of modern intellectual history. A World Without Time is a sweeping, ambitious book, and yet poignant and intimate. It tells the story of two magnificent minds put on the shelf by the scientific fashions of their day, and attempts to rescue from undeserved obscurity the brilliant work they did together.