In 1905, Einstein, who was working at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, published papers in his spare time, including three great achievements in modern physics: the theory of molecular kinetics, the special theory of relativity and the light quantum hypothesis. These became the real beginnings of the scientific revolution in the 20th century and the fruitful fruits of the scientific revolution in the 20th century. Its great significance can be compared with only Newton's creation of the theory of universal gravitation in the entire history of science. Therefore this year is called "Einstein's Miracle Year".
The 26-year-old technician completed five papers in one go, four of which were published that year and another in the German Journal of Physics the following year. The five papers are: ① "New Determination of Molecular Size", ② "Movement of Small Particles Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular Kinetic Theory of Heat", ③ "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", ④ "The Movement of Objects" Is inertia related to the energy it contains?", ⑤ "A tentative view on the generation and transformation of light". The fifth article was published on March 17. The five papers cover three areas of transition from classical physics to modern physics: ① and ② clarify the nature of molecules, explain the "Brownian motion" of statistics of suspended tiny particles, and help eliminate people's doubts about the reality of atomic physics at the time. , and it is of great significance to open up the general theory of statistical thermodynamics and stochastic processes. ③ and ④ were committed to expanding and improving Maxwell's theory, introduced the special theory of relativity, and expressed the famous equation E=mc2 for the first time. ⑤ Demonstrated that light has both particle and wave properties, and explained the previously puzzling photoelectric effect of emitting electrons when a solid is illuminated by light, profoundly revealing the relationship between the continuity of Maxwell's field and the discreteness of particles. The contradiction has become an important milestone in the development of quantum theory.
When the Nobel Prize selection committee awarded the physics prize to Einstein in 1921, it declared that he won the prize "for his achievements in mathematical physics, especially the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect"; and Leave that shocking theory of relativity to Father Time for further testing.