Daniel Kroll, professor of physics, will present “The Intimate Life of Albert Einstein and His Biggest Idea” as part of Science Café on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in Stoker’s Basement of the Hotel Donaldson.
The General Theory of Relativity has been called "the greatest feat of human thinking about nature, the most amazing combination of philosophical penetration, physical intuition and mathematical skill." It emerged out of a frenetic period of activity by Einstein and David Hilbert in late 1915. The physical insights provided by the theory reshaped understanding of the universe, predicting for the first time, for example, the bending of starlight by gravity, existence of black holes and eventually leading to the "big bang theory.” In addition to examining several of the predictions of the theory, Kroll will describe the series of events that led to its discovery. The latter provides fascinating insight into Einstein's personality and life.
Contact Keri Drinka at keri.drinka@ndsu.edu or 1-6131 with questions or visit earth.physics.ndsu.nodak.edu for a complete schedule.