Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our… (2004)

"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself."

Einstein came up with his theories of special and general relativity based on 2 pictures. For special relativity it was picturing himself running alongside a light beam. For general relativity it was falling off a chair. He spent the rest of his career trying to find the 'theory of everything', but was unsuccessful; perhaps because he couldn't come up with a simple picture to describe it.

Kaku does an excellent job of mixing biographical information along with some physics; and making it all understandable. But don't let the inclusion of a little physics deter you; it's all very simple and there are no crazy equations. This book is more about Einstein's life and how it led him to discover his relativity theories. It's a relatively short read at 233 pages, so if you're looking for a simple yet informative book on Einstein's life, give this a try. ( )

A good overview of the development of Einstein's theories both before and after his death. Definitely more recommended for the reader looking for an opening introduction to relativity, than for serious students. ( )

This is the third book in Norton's Great Discoveries series, and easily the best so far. My only complaint about this bio of Einstein is that it was too short to have much detail. ( )

This is a great book for getting acquainted with the nature of the space-time continuum, a phrase that has entered the common parlance, but that few *really* understand. Kaku is the perfect guide into the complexities of the Einsteinian universe (and the post-Einsteinian universe), and does not rely as heavily on metaphor and image as does, say, [author: Brian Greene] does in his books "[book: The Elegant Universe]" and "[book: The Fabric of the Cosmos]". An elegant and understated book, it definitely belongs on the bookshelf of any armchair physicist. ( )

Just finished the book Einstein’s Cosmos, which is a great look into the life of the genius physicist Albert Einstein.

The book has lots of interesting facts about Einstein such as:
- He was born in Germany but he had such a bad experience in his youth, he renounced his citizenship when he was 17
- He was always brilliant. There’s a myth that he wasn’t that smart when he was young (and a whole Kaplan advertising campaign). This is 100% wrong. He read a Geometry book when he was 12 and LOVED it. After that he devoured any physics and mathematics he could get his hand on. He hated classes where they wouldn’t teach the “interesting topics of the day” and occassionally got poor grades. But he was always smart.
- One little tidbit i loved hearing about is that he was a total ladies man. In High School ALL the girls wanted to talk to him b/c he had such a funny personality. He was a witty guy - always cracking jokes and having fun. Bottom line: Albert was a stud and had his pick of chicks when he was in college.

Another little interesting piece of gossip - he got his main college girlfriend pregnant but she had moved away and the baby died when it was 3. He eventually had another child with her and paid alimony with his Nobel Prize money. But, as he became more famous and busier, they drifted apart and he moved to Germany. She stayed in Switzerland - leading to eventual divorce. He then became very close to his cousin Elsa, who he later married. From the book it seems that they were a great couple - He the absent-minded disheveled thinker and she the pretty put-together socialite. His tours around the world would have been impossible without her.

The book follows his behavior during the wars, his refusal to support Germany during WWI and his endangerment as a prominent Jew - eventually moving to the states and living at Princeton.

The physics is all easy to understand. All the cosmic questions that stem from relativity - including the puzzling worm-hole questions are all lined up. I found it a great to read before bedtime book due to the mind benders.

If you’re looking to know more about Albert - this is definitely a quick and interesting book. ( )