Brownian motion is firm evidence that molecules exist
From 1902 I interpreted atomic phenomena statistically. That physics research led to my 1905 paper on Brownian motion, which showed the jittering of suspended particles can be read as firm scientific evidence that molecules exist.
statistical mechanicsmolecular physicsthermodynamics+1 more
I proposed light quanta and won the Nobel Prize for it
In 1905 I postulated that light consists of localized quanta, each carrying energy hf, and showed this explains the photoelectric effect. The idea was nearly universally rejected at first, then confirmed by experiment.
quantum theoryphotoelectric effectlight+1 more
I recast gravity as the warping of spacetime
Between 1907 and 1915 I developed general relativity, in which the attraction between masses results from their warping of spacetime. My prediction that gravity bends light was confirmed by Eddington's 1919 eclipse observations.
relativitygravitationspacetime+1 more
I reconciled Maxwell with mechanics, dropped the aether
My research paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" resolved the conflict between Maxwell's equations and Newtonian mechanics by changing the laws of mechanics. It became the special theory of relativity, the physics that gave us E = mc2.
relativitytheoretical physicselectrodynamics+1 more
My four 1905 papers on space, time and matter
In 1905 I published four research papers in Annalen der Physik — on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity and E = mc2. Together they contributed substantially to the foundation of modern physics as a science.
publicationstheoretical physicsrelativity+1 more
I rebuilt our ideas of space, time and light
I am a theoretical physicist best known for developing the theory of relativity. I also made important contributions to quantum theory, and my mass–energy formula E = mc2 has been called the world's most famous equation.
theoretical physicsrelativityquantum theory+2 more