The Practical Einstein: Experiments, Patents, Inventions

Albert Einstein may be best known as the wire-haired whacky physicist who gave us the theory of relativity, but that's just one facet of this genius' contribution to human knowledge and modern science. As Jozsef Illy expertly shows in this book, Einstein had an eminently practical side as well. As a youth, Einstein was an inveterate tinkerer in the electrical supply factory his father and uncle owned and operated. His first paid job was as a patent examiner. Later in life, Einstein contributed to many inventions, including refrigerators, microphones, and instruments for aviation. In published papers, Einstein often provided ways to test his theories and fundamental problems of the scientific community of his times. He delved deeply into a variety of technological innovations, most notably the gyrocompass, and consulted for industry in patent cases and on other legal matters. Einstein also provided explanations for common and mundane phenomena, such as the meandering of rivers. In these and other hands-on examples culled from the Einstein Papers, Illy demonstrates how Einstein enjoyed leaving the abstract world of theories to wrestle with the problems of everyday life. While we may like the idea of Einstein as a genius besotted by extra dimensions and too out-of-this-world to wear socks, "The Practical Einstein" gives ample evidence that this characterization is both incomplete and an unfair representation of a man who sought to explore the intricacies of nature, whether in theory or in practice.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction 1. Musings The Flettner Ship Why Do Rivers Meander? 2. Experiments Michelson, Morley, and Eötvös Reinvented The Mass of the Electron Ampère's Molecular Currents The Velocity of Gas Reactions A Geodynamo Model? Light: Waves or Particles? Explaining Superconductivity 3. Expert Opinions The Patent Office Gyrocompasses Mixing Tubes Hebeluftschiff Tungsten Wires for Incandescent Lamps Triodes for Amplification Sound Direction Ranging in Air and Water Prospecting for Ore and Water from a Dirigible Riveting Hammers and Pile Drivers Production of High-Pressure Gases "Electrophonic Piano" Aerial Stereophotography Magnetic Cores with Low Electric Conductivity Telescope for Daylight Observations of Phenomena near the Sun Makeup Mirror Balanced Tapered Bearing Rollers 4. Europe an Inventions The "Little Machine" (Maschinchen) Planimeter The Cat's Back Airfoil Compasses for Land, Sea, and Air Filtering Viruses Refrigerators in a Row Magnetostrictive Reproduction of Sound Hearing Aid 5. American Inventions Altimeter Waterproof Breathable Clothes Heat-Insulating Vessel Liquid Filtering by Electrostatic Method Automatic Correction of Measured Data Airplane Horizon Indicator Electrostatic Microphone Fluid-Level Indicator Light-Intensity Self-Adjusting Camera Steel-Tape Recording Aircraft Speedometer Timer On the Threshold of the Manhattan Project Torpedoman Einstein Notes Index

About the Author :
Jozsef Illy is a visiting senior editor with the Einstein Papers Project and a visiting associate in history at the California Institute of Technology. He is the editor of Albert Meets America: How Journalists Treated Genius during Einstein's 1921 Travels, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Review :
A lesser-known aspect of Einstein's incredible contribution to understanding the physical universe and human creations makes up the subject of this fascinating book... In this compact, readable account, one discovers Einstein's practical interests that lay beyond his seminal work in relativity and quantum physics... Highly recommended. Choice One turns to Jozsef Illy's lovely little book on Einstein the experimenter and inventor... With a lean and matter-of-fact prose, he takes us through a long history of such things as Einstein's many expert opinions on everything from gyrocompasses and pile drivers to an 'electrophonic piano' and a makeup mirror. We learn about Einstein's own inventions, ranging from an airfoil and a refrigerator to an altimeter and a light-intensity self-adjusting camera. The book concludes with the most complete history ever written of Einstein's work for the US Navy during World War II on magnetic-influence proximity fuses for torpedoes. -- Don Howard Physics Today Einstein's papers reveal a down-to-earth side. Learn about his inventions and ideas, including waterproof breathable clothes and an explanation for rivers' meanderings. Science News A must for any Einstein historian and refreshing reading for anyone interested in the meanderings of a great scientist, The Practical Einstein is a special book. Enjoy! -- Adriana Palffy Contemporary Physics This short but well-documented book is not a radical evaluation, but an engaging one. It suggests a more human and more 'hands-on' Einstein than the popular myth, and perhaps a better role model: his career of mixed productivity, eclectic interests, consulting work and brief enthusiasms may be recognizable to more than a few contemporary scientists. -- Sean Johnston British Journal for the History of Science