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Essay on albert einstein and his contributions to science
Essay on Albert Einstein
Essay on albert einstein ( born , biography , major work
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Einstein was not always an extremely successful man and he had difficulties that would have prevented anyone else from succeeding, but eventually, several of his theories led to scientific advancements. One theory earned him a Nobel Prize, in physics one a PhD and another helped in the development of nuclear fission. If a person were only to take a quick glance at his life without a deeper investigation, they would find it difficult to discover the catalyst that led to his success. However, with the tools Gladwell provides his readers it does become obvious what led to Einstein’s life of success. Gladwell argues that a person needs to devote time to practice their craft; he calls this the “10,000-hour rule” (Gladwell 35). They must also have opportunity to succeed, as well as intelligence; they must at least be, smart enough to do so. He also claims that they must have been born at just the right time for success, too early or too late is a failure; he calls this the “Matthew Effect” (Gladwell 15). Gladwell even goes so far as to say that where they are born has a significant impact on their success; this he calls “demographic luck” (Gladwell 129). These tools provided by Gladwell to identify an outlier can explain if Albert Einstein is truly an outlier.
Einstein’s education was unconventional for a person who was to become a success. Early on, he was failing a large number of his courses; and he transferred from a German school at age fifteen to a Swiss school, so that he could avoid compulsive military service in the German armed forces. By the age of sixteen, he officially became a school dropout. His grade school principle made the statement to his parents, “it didn’t matter what profession the boy prepared for because he wo...
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... description an outlier on all five points. He was a man that came from nothing; his life was full of struggles that could have led him to fail. Even through uncontrollable circumstances seemed to hold him back; they also guided him down the correct path he needed to succeed. Einstein was intelligent enough, he made use of the “Matthew Effect”, the “10,000-hour” rule, “demographic luck”, and he had opportunity (Gladwell 15, 35, 129). Through a review of these effects on a persons success offered by Gladwell it is now easier to understand how a person like Einstein did in fact become such a success.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the story of success. 2011. Reprint. New York: Back Bay Books / Little, Brown and Co., 2008. Print.
Severance, John B. Einstein: Visionary Scientist. New York: Clarion Books, 1999. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 14 Apr. 2014
Gladwell narrates along biographical sections in the chapter and leads you through the lives of his “successful” subjects. He explains a cause of success and the effect it has on the outliers and their lives. He effectively asks rhetorical questions to spark readers’ interest in a phenomenon and then he explains the phenomenon using r...
The introduction of Outliers begins with an inspection of Italian American immigrants near the end of the 19th century, the founders of a small town in Pennsylvania, called Roseto. In a study conducted by physician Stewart Wolf, et al. researchers set out to decide how the people of Roseto were able to live longer, healthier lives than that of the people in the towns of the same region, as well as the rest of the nation. The secret of the success for the people of Roseto could be found in a nearly unanimous social integration, which focused on respect for elders, a common set of religious beliefs, and an egalitarian way of thinking. Wolf’s findings introduced the medical community to a new way of researching serious health risks; research without isolation of the subject, by including the environment of the people studied. Gladwell ends the introduction by preparing the reader to use “The Roseto Mystery” analogously with his extended definition of success.
In “Outliers” Malcolm Gladwell organizes his argument for their being a rule for overall success by showing statistics of people who are defined as being successful such as Bill Gates, Billy Joy, and The Beatles. He also uses a Berlin music academy to help prove his rule. He presents an argument that Bill Gates and The Beatles and the violinist attending the music academy may have been born with innate talent but that is not the sole ...
Since his birth, Albert Einstein has had the most beneficial effects on the events of the world. Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1979 and as a boy displayed an unquenchable curiosity for understanding science and all of its mysteries. As Albert Einstein’s life progressed, he found himself working as a patent clerk in Bern. While working as a patent clerk in Bern, Albert Einstein had a plethora amount of time which was devoted to formulating his theories. Also during this time, Albert Einstein received his Doctorate degree and started working on one of his most influential papers, which was the Special Theory of Relativity. After Einstein completed his Special Theory of Relativity, he moved onto creating the General Theory of Relativity which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921. With the creation of both the General Theory of Relativity and the Special Theory of Relativity, Einstein was able to create his Theory of Relativity which comprises of both theories. Other scientific discoveries that Einstein made are the existence of the photon, the theory of Brownian motion, the concept of Mass-energy equivalence, the photoelectric effect, the first quantum theory of specific heats, the Einstein-Brilloui-Keller method for finding the quantum mechanical version of a classical system , Bose-Einstein statistics and Bose-Einstein condensates, the EPR paradox, and although his efforts were unsuccessful, in his last thirty years of life Einstein explored various classical unified field theories that could account for both electromagnetism and gravitation and possibly quantum mechanics.
Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers, gives the definition of an outlier to be “something that is situated away from or classified differently from a main or related body” (3). While he does supply this definition he never specifies what he defines as success. Using his numerous examples of what Gladwell considers to a successful person, it is safe to conclude that his definition would be – success is a mixture of opportunity, intelligence, and hard work. When these three characteristics are combined it equals great success, and cannot be reached with only one or two of these things, all three must be present. Gladwell presents multiple instances where these three qualities contribute to an individual’s success.
Gladwell gives differing definitions of intelligence. Yet his definition of success is singular—"worldly" success in terms of wealth, power, and fame. Are there also differing definitions of success that Gladwell doesn't consider? If so, what are they, and what does it take to achieve those versions of success? What is your definition of success, and how does it compare to Gladwell’s? Has your definition of success changed at all?
Albert Einstein may have helped to pave the path for modern civilization with his theory of relativity, however, there was more to this man than mere physics and science (Franklin, 2007, para. 2). He was awarded Time Magazine’s “Person of the Century” in 2000 as just one of the many recognitions he has received beyond his intellectual accomplishments (Lanouette, 2008, para. 1). In fact, the work in which he partook, combined with his just priorities and beliefs, fell clearly in line with the teachings the Catholic church strives to encourage. The following paper will prove how Albert Einstein’s ethic and moral actions clearly promoted three of the ten principles of Catholic social teachings.
For generations, only certain people have achieved success - they are known as geniuses or outliers; however, they did not obtain it on high IQs and innate talents alone. In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell, #1 bestselling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, reveals the transparent secret of success behind every genius that made it big. Intertwined with that, Gladwell builds a convincing implication that the story behind the success of all geniuses is that they were born at the right place, at the right time and took advantage of it. To convey the importance of the outlier’s fortunate circumstances to his readers, he expresses a respective, colloquial tone when examining their lives.
In the minds of many, intelligence not only excels your experience in education, but is also the key to a successful career. In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell refutes this thought by expanding on the belief that intelligence can only take you so far, and that creativity and innovation tend to lead to just as much success. This thought process applies to many different levels of life including our interview and acceptance into the ACTION program.
Have you ever met an accomplished individual that has never reached success? Lack of success following talented individuals is common. In fact, without proper opportunity, no amount of personal merit will lead to success. Malcolm Gladwell demonstrates the impact of opportunities on success in his novel Outliers: The Story of Success. By analyzing the background of outliers, he concludes that opportunity plays a major role in success. The biography of Elon Musk, an interview with my mother, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” reveal more data to support Gladwell’s thesis. These sources state that success in people’s lives are a result of opportunity, not personal merit, supporting Gladwell’s thesis.
The popular saying “practice makes perfect” has been used for many years encouraging younger generations to strive for success in whatever area they wish to excel in. Success is something everybody in society strides for but some do not know how it is achieved. However, there are many people throughout history who are known for achieving success in many areas. Malcolm Gladwell, a best selling author and speaker, identifies these people as being outliers. Gladwell identifies the word “outlier” in his story Outliers as “a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience.” Although Malcolm Gladwell does not establish credibility for himself in his novel, his targeted audience of a younger inexperienced generation feel the need to be informed by his detailed theories about becoming successful and eventually becoming an outlier. Although the reality of becoming successful can depend on instances one can not control, Gladwell tells his readers there is a great portion they can control through his theory, the 10,000 hour rule. He does this by using well presented logical persuasive appeals and interesting rhetorical devices such as: onomatopeias, exposition, and argumentation.
Malcolm Gladwell’s overall purpose of Outliers: The Story of Success is that success is largely determined by an individual’s socioeconomic and sociocultural environment, and individual ambition, effort, or talent, are less significant, contrary to the societal notions associated with success. In other words, success is not something that someone randomly gained; success is earned through opportunities that develop dedication, interest, and skill over time. By doing this, will one become an outlier, or “something that is situated away or classed differently from a main or related body,” (Gladwell 3) that distinguishes great from good and best from great, as exemplified by “The striking thing about Ericsson’s study is that the and his colleagues couldn’t find any “naturals”, musicians who floated effortlessly to the top while practicing a fraction of the time their peers did.” (Gladwell 39) Gladwell also acknowledges societal norms such that “All of the fourteen men and woman on the list above had vision and talent,” (Gladwell 62-63) to assert hard work, ability, et cetera can lead to success, but a social environment that offers such opportunities immensely increases the likelihood of success.
In the book, groups of successful people are broken down and Gladwell compares their individual characteristics to see if there are any abnormal trends. He starts with talking about how the chance birthdates of a large number of professiona...
It is also very shocking to see the racial demographics behind plane crashes and the relationship between math, rice, and Asian people. I am glad that I was able to read this book because despite the limits it places on success, it provides a better understanding of the possible reasons why some people become outliers while other remain average. Works Cited "Outliers The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/books/18kaku.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Friedman, Alan J. and Carol C. Donley "Einstein As Myth and Muse" Cambrige 1985, Cambridge University Press