Do You Have a Little Einstein in You?

Do you have a little Einstein in you? The greatest minds of all time (and of our time) have one thing in common; they are all incredibly curious. Whether it's studying the stars forties or counting ticks, we humans are still always on the hunt to learn more. That curiosity can drive us to pursue many different paths and get us so caught up in that quest to learn more that we sometimes forget to step back and examine our motives. We often get so wrapped up in the moment that the question of why might someone be interested in what they're doing becomes lost in the mix.

While it's easy for the more "normal" people to say "what's in it for me?" (as in, "Why do I care about this"), for those with a little bit of extra intelligence, the question of why might someone want to study something so seemingly unimportant is just as valid. After all, most people wouldn't think it worthwhile to go spend two years studying quicksand, but Einstein did it, and so can you. The rewards can be tremendous. If you're curious about why a little Einstein would be interested in all of this stuff, maybe you should take a look at his journal, or at least his book.

Of course, having such a close attachment to math turned Einstein into a crank, even though he tried to keep it at a level that was way too high for his audience. However, while it may have kept him from being taken seriously, his theories are still widely regarded as true today. And in spite of all his crankiness, Einstein did find some real practical uses for his theories.

For example, did you know that he spent considerable time practicing angles on an Analytical Engine? It took him almost 20 years to perfect this, and he never completed it. But if he'd had access to an accurate measuring device, he could've been done with it much faster. For that matter, a Doppler instrument, which measures vibrations of sound waves, would have done the trick rather nicely too.

Another famous quote attributed to Einstein is, "I'm a poor scholar, but I know a lot." While it may not exactly be described as wisdom in the classic sense of the word, it did help to make Einstein's work a lot more respected in the later half of the twentieth century. Indeed, after his death, many scientists were willing to accept his theories as real principles.

You may not think much of Einstein's little engine, but he may have been onto something. After all, he did go on to win a Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity. He did achieve the goal of tapping energy by focusing beams of light on it. That's just one example of how a little Einstein can go a long way. We should all pay tribute to this great man for the discoveries he made and continue to make.