Discuss these questions with your partner.
Why do scientists want to test and prove theories?
Do you think there are general laws which can explain the physical universe? Why / Why not?
H A Vocabulary
Find a synonym in the box for the words or phrases in green in the sentences.
Then check your answers in the text.
“ *>
an eclipse apparent notion multi-dimensional ■ bend
obstacles ■ eager curved
✓
In science fiction films, space travel is often talked about as being more than one dimension since it involves both time and space
W
hen
there is the phenomenon of the Sun being covered by the Moon, it is
observed by millions of people The scientist was very keen to test her theory.
The heliocentric theory was a(n) idea that many people did not want to accept.
Unfortunately, he met many difficulties in his research
Light can turn
It was obvious to scientists that more research was needed
The line was rounded
H Reading 1
The General Theory of Relativity
Isaac Newton's discovery of the Law of Universal Gravitation would seem to have definitively answered the question of planetary movement. And yet, it became apparent to scientists that a number of phenomena which they observed did not agree with those they expected to see based on Newton's predictions.
One of the differences was the orbit of the planet Mercury, which did not quite match the orbit predicted by Newton's theory. Another problem resulted from James Clerk Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism (about 1870), which indicated that space was filled with matter that moved and was not empty and motionless, as Newton had believed. Finally, there was a problem with
Newton's claim that light travelled at a constant speed, whether the observer was moving toward or away from it or not.
These questions captured the interest of a brilliant young physics student, Albert Einstein.
Einstein's first attempt to solve the problem was his 1905 paper on The Special Theory of Relativity, a concept which had been noted by Galileo in 1632. In this work, Einstein found that time and space are relative, not constant. This means that time and space are different depending on where the observer is. This was proved by an experiment involving two clocks: one was put on an aeroplane which travelled around the world and the other remained at the starting point on the ground. When the first one returned, it was running slower than the one which had been left behind, exactly as Einstein had predicted.
Einstein continued to expand on this theory, and in 1916 presented a paper on a new theory, The General Theory of Relativity, which took into account the effect of gravitation on space and time. It involved the notion of space time, a multi-dimensional phenomenon which is constantly moving and bending as it meets obstacles in its path. Everything in the universe is part of this space time and is carried along with it. Furthermore, gravity is not a force which moves things, but rather it is an element which illustrates curved space and time.
Einstein's theory was based on geometrical calculations and principles and had to be proved by scientific testing in the natural world, which many scientists were eager to do. In 1919, during a solar eclipse, a British team working in two different locations measured the light of several stars. They found that the light from these stars was actually bent, just as Einstein's theory had predicted. Needless to say, Einstein immediately became internationally famous. Scientists continued to apply Einstein's equations to other natural phenomena, all with positive results.
Pronunciation guide
eclipse /i'klips/
Mercury /'rroikjuri/
В В Comprehension
Read the text and decide if the following statements are true or false.
The orbit of the planet Mercury led scientists to question Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.
Maxwell agreed with Newton that T □ space was empty and motionless.
Einstein was the first scientist to talk about the notion of relativity. F □
According to Einstein, gravity is not T □ a force which moves matter. F □
Einstein's theories were never T Q proved by scientific testing. F □
Before you listen
Discuss these questions with your partner.
-» Are scientists influenced by the work of earlier scientists? Explain your view.
‘Discovery is just a different way of looking at something.’ Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain why.
И С Listening Ц)))
You will hear five famous scientists talking about research involving relativity. Match each statement with the speaker. There is one statement which you do not need to use.
SPEAKER 1
SPEAKER 2
SPEAKER 3
SPEAKER 4
SPEAKER 5
A He discovered one of the first principles of relativity.
В His work led to the discovery of the Theory of Relativity.
С He discovered the two theories of relativity.
D He disagreed with the Theory of Relativity.
E He supported the Theory of Relativity.
F He tested the Theory of Relativity.
T
Before you read
Discuss these questions with your partner.
What do you know about Albert Einstein's life?
What do you think Einstein is particularly famous for?
D Vocabulary
Match these words with their definitions.
acknowledged |
A a legal document which protects an inventor's rights to his/her invention |
long-standing |
В bombs, etc for killing large numbers of people |
patent |
С changed |
dedicated |
D recognised |
overturned |
E existing for many years |
weapons of mass destruction |
F committed to |
expose |
G somebody who is against war |
admission |
H entry |
pacifist |
I make open to |
SB Reading 2
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Born in Ulm, Germany in 1879, his family soon moved to Munich, where he lived until he was 15. He attended the Luitpold Gymnasium and in 1894, wrote his first scientific work, The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields.
Einstein's family moved to Italy in the same year, but he stayed behind to finish school. However, one year later, he left school without telling his parents and went to Italy to be with them. Shortly afterwards, he applied for admission to the Swiss Polytechnic Institute but was not accepted; he had not done well in the non-science part of the test. He later attended the Swiss Federal Polytechnic
School in Zurich, from which he received a degree and so was qualified to teach Physics and Mathematics. Unfortunately, however, he was not able to get a teaching position but with the help of his old classmate and friend, Marcel Grossman, was able to get a job in the Swiss Patent Office in 1902. In 1903, Einstein married his former classmate, Mileva Marie. They had three children - a daughter and two sons.
While Einstein was working at the Patent Office, he began to examine different problems in physics and came up with some remarkable discoveries. In 1905 he published three papers, one of which was about his Special Theory of Relativity, a concept which completely overturned Isaac Newton's long-standing Law of Universal Gravitation.
In the following years, Einstein and his family moved from one European capital to another. In each city he held teaching positions at local universities or in scientific institutions. He continued researching a number of different questions and published papers which had a great impact on the field of physics, including his work on the concept of relativity, which led to his Theory
of General Relativity in 1915. He paid his price for creativity, however, and due to the great stress he was under, he became seriously ill in 1917.
When Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was proved to be true by British researchers in 1919, he became world famous. lie received the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics in recognition of his work (in 1905) on the photoelectric effect (when electrons are produced if matter is exposed to electromagnetic radiation, for example, in X-rays), which had been thoroughly tested and widely accepted.
Einstein was very active in politics. He moved to the US from Europe just before the start of World War II, and advised the American President Franklin Roosevelt to start building an atomic bomb before the Nazis produced one. However, he later said that had he realised the Nazis would not produce an atomic bomb, he would never have advised Roosevelt in this way. lie never personally worked on the bomb. In fact, he was against war and weapons of mass destruction. All his life Einstein had been a pacifist, only recognising the need to fight against the Nazis when it became apparent that they had to be stopped. After the war, he dedicated himself to working for nuclear disarmament.
Einstein believed that we should never stop questioning things and keep searching for answers about the natural world. On 18th April, 1955 he died of heart failure.
f . \
Pronunciation guide
Aether /'пйэ/
Luitpold /'luTtpold/
Munich /'mjuinik/ pacifist /'paesifist/
Zurich /’zuank/
ч J
В E Comprehension
Read the text and choose the correct answer.
Einstein left Munich in A 1879.
В 1894.
С 1895.
D 1902.
After completing his education at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School, Einstein
A was not accepted at the Swiss Polytechnic Institute.
В got a job teaching Physics and Mathematics.
С got a job working with his friend,
Marcel Grossman.
D got a job working at the Swiss Patent Office.
After the publication of his 1905 papers, Einstein
A became an international celebrity.
В stopped working on the Theory of Relativity.
С continued working on the Theory of Relativity.
D spent his time teaching rather than doing research.
Einstein became an international celebrity A when his theories were proven to be true. В when he discovered the General Theory
of Relativity.
С when he discovered the Special Theory of Relativity.
D when he won the Nobel Prize.
Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize A because of his discovery of relativity.
В because his theories overturned
Newton's Law.
С because of his earlier work.
D because of his contributions to world peace.
Einstein's attitude to war could be described as A tolerant in certain situations.
В totally opposed.
С supportive.
D undecided.
Before you listen
Discuss these questions with your partner.
Do you know anything about Einstein's childhood?
Do you know what his hobby was?
H F Listening Щ)))
Listen to part of a radio interview with a historian talking about Einstein. Then complete each sentence with a word or short phrase.
Einstein made his first scientific discovery when he was years old.
He realised that something was causing the
needle of the compass in a
certain way.
He taught himself at the age
of 12.