Let’s Recap! 5/10/24 Robert Piccioni is a Caltech graduate. He has a Ph.D. in high-energy physics from Stanford University, and was on the faculty of Harvard. Robert ran eight high-tech companies and holds patents in medical equipment, microelectronics, and smart energy. Since “retiring”, his mission is making science accessible. Robert teaches at the Osher Institute at UCLA and Cal. State Channel Islands, where he was voted “Teacher of the Year”. He is the author of three books that won national and international competitions and have the highest ratings in their categories on Amazon.com. He has authored Einstein For Everybody—Everyones Guide to Atoms, Einstein and the Universe and Can Life Be Merely an Accident?
How did a young rebel, who seemed doomed to fail, overcome rejection to become the world’s most famous scientist? In plain English, what do his theories mean? And how does Einstein impact our lives through DVDs, GPS, CCD imaging and digital cameras, computers, and smarter energy? Dr. Piccioni answered these questions and more at Friday’s 85th Arcadia Anniversary luncheon.
Time magazine has designated Albert Einstein as the most important person of the 20th Century. Without a doubt the appellation “Genius” applies to him. No mean feat, but considering his beginnings, this almost didn’t come to pass. In the beginning of his life, he failed often and suffered numerous rejections. He was slow to talk and was expelled from grade school. He dropped out of high school. In the beginning in college he failed Physics and told his professors they didn’t know what they were talking about. He was not popular and failed Physics. He was in the lower half of his college class. He was considered “bright”, but not really smart enough.
In 1900 he was supported by relatives, until he was able to get work as a Government Clerk, with family assistance. Because his salary was miniscule, he had to hold off getting married after college. Thus, he was on the road to failure and obscurity, but what has defined him and brought him to the level of intellectual supremacy is that he never quit and kept trying. He succeeded because he never stopped trying.
In 1905 he published five papers on physics, which were brilliant but did not earn him a salaried position. Through his thought processes he solved all major open issues in Physics. Still he waited for a position, meantime he obtained his Phd in Physics. He was even rejected for a high school teaching job. Finally, in 1909 from the University of Zurich he received his first position, which was attributable to his attitude of never giving up. Then in 1913 he made remarkable contributions to the science of Physics and was offered a full professorship position in Physics at the University of Berlin. He was not required to conduct class, merely to think. His remarkable journey continued by being named as president of the German Physical Society in 1914. In 1915, Einstein published the general theory of relativity, which he considered his masterwork. This theory found that gravity, as well as motion, can affect time and space. In 1921 he won the Nobel Prize for his work on the photoelectric effect. His achievements were countless. He postulated the proof of atoms and ended a 25,000 year debate. His contributions were enormous: Photoelectric effects, solar cells, imagery, the theory of lasers, core technology, among others. Today’s GPS traces its origin to Albert Einstein. He developed theories of quantum Physics, microelectronics and the world famous equation, E=mc2.
Einstein’s theory was that Mass and energy were co-existent. All mass can be converted to energy, thus the potential exists to power the earth on small masses, which can be converted to energy. Based on Einstein’s theory, it is possible to take a penny and convert it to energy to supply one million people. Dr. Piccioni explained how all fuels are made of atoms, which have a simple inside nucleus and outside electron cloud. By applying fusion to uranium it would be possible to provide energy to the planet and at a miniscule cost. Einstein revolutionized man’s understanding of atoms, light, gravity, mass, motion and space. He succeeded because he didn’t care what people thought about him, but would not give up.