During WWI, Einstein developed the General Theory of Relativity. He
was isolated from most scientific interaction by his residence in
Germany. He was even separated from his sons, who were in Switzerland
with his wife. The war devastated the scientific community as well as
the rest of the country. The book gives us a grim perspective of what
it was like. With his ability to concentrate, Einstein was able to
complete the General Theory of Relativity and work with some other
mathematicians like Grossman who were still in Germany.
For Einstein, the
most important aspect of a theory was experimental confirmation.
Photos taken during an eclipse were the way to prove that gravity
deflected light the same way as if it had mass. The first attempt
failed. However, Einstein learned of a British astronomer, Eddington,
who might be convinced to make another try. After much study,
Eddington felt he understood the complex theory and arranged for two
teams, one in Brazil, the other in Africa, to attempt the
observation. The shift observed by the team in Africa, which included
Eddington, was able to verify the shift that supported Einstein’s
theory.
This book covers the
lives of both Einstein and Eddington during WWI. It gives a detailed
picture of the suffering and waste crated by the war. It also
highlights the problems of scientists who wanted to work together
across national boundaries. In the aftermath of the war, Britain
wanted to close it’s doors to anything German. It’s a remarkable
story of how Einstein and Eddington were able to work across national
prejudices to accomplish a great scientific feat.
I received this book
from Dutton for this review.
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