Was Einstein a triple? Einstein was not a loser in school, this is a myth. He firmly believed that he would receive the Nobel Prize

The German Wikipedia states that this myth is connected with the mistake of the first biographer of Einstein. Both Germany and Switzerland have adopted a six-point rating scale. But in Germany, the best score is 1, the worst - 6. And in Switzerland - on the contrary: the best - 6, the worst - 1. And so, they say, the biographer confused the marks in the Swiss certificate with the German ones.

True, this theory does not explain how Einstein - according to the biographer - was able to enter Polytechnical Institute, having "6" in all mathematical disciplines and physics, as well as "5" in chemistry and a number of other subjects.

Here is a hypothesis about the origin of the myth:

Das Gerücht, dass Einstein allgemein ein schlechter Schüler war, ist falsch: Es geht auf Einsteins ersten Biografen zurück, der das Benotungssystem der Schweiz mit dem deutschen verwechselte.

Objectively, Einstein was not a bad student.(in Russian - "double student" or "triple student"), just as he was not a "round excellent student" or even a "good student". Even as a child, he was very self-willed, did not really want to study subjects that were not of interest to him (and, on the contrary, he studied those that were of interest beyond the program; at the same time he lost his religiosity at the age of 12) - he received appropriate (but at least satisfactory) marks, was not afraid to express his opinion and argue with authorities (teachers, the director of the gymnasium or his own father: at least on the issue of higher education he went to the polytechnic, where he wanted to, and not where his father wanted to send).

Einstein did not finish the German gymnasium not because of poor progress (he did not have unsatisfactory grades) but because of a conflict with the director and teachers. They believed that Einstein behaved too badly and, moreover, negatively influenced others. In a word, he does not respect authorities and does not fit into the system. However, Einstein was not expelled, but simply left on his own. At the age of 15, by the way. Moreover, the parents already lived in another country (in Italy), and after a couple of years they were threatened with being called up for service in Kaiser's army(it was enough to live up to 17 years in Germany to turn into a military man), which Einstein did not want at all. By the way, he soon also refused German citizenship and for a number of years did not have any citizenship at all.

At the age of 16 - in Italy - he wrote the first scientific article("On the study of the state of the ether in a magnetic field"), which he sent to his uncle in Belgium for review. (And what scientific article did you write when you were 16? I, for example, did not.) scientific journals the work was not sent or published.

Then the family moved to Switzerland and Einstein tried to get into the polytechnic. Since he did not have an education giving the right to enter a university (in Germany it is called Abitur, in Switzerland - Matura), I had to take entry exams(by the way, if he stayed at the gymnasium, he would still continue to study and would not enter any university at the age of 16). Either he failed the exam in French (as the German Wikipedia claims), or also botany (as the Russian one claims), or - to the heap - also zoology (as stated in the previous answer). In any case, he passed everything else, although he did not finish his studies at the gymnasium, and, it seems, he did not take private lessons (except for learning to play the violin).

On the recommendation of one of the professors of the Polytechnic, Einstein accepted to study at a Swiss school, where he received his certificate about passing the exams for this very Matura (French - for 3, that is - in the five-point system - for a triple with a minus). Then entered the polytechnic, where he continued in his former spirit: he skipped lectures on subjects that did not interest him (he prepared for exams on the notes of fellow students). This time, it was mathematics that fell into disgrace, as being too theorized and far from the problems of physics. Subsequently, while working on general relativity, Einstein allegedly changed his mind on this matter and expressed regret about absenteeism from mathematical lectures during his studies at the polytechnic.

We expose! Einstein was a loser? July 22nd, 2013

Many Losers console themselves with the thought that Albert Einstein - the great physicist, author of the famous theory of relativity, Nobel laureate - was also a Losers in childhood.

But is it true?

Facts speak better than any words. So, before you is Albert Einstein's matriculation certificate, which he received at the cantonal school of Aarau (Switzerland) in September 1896 at the age of 17 (grades were given according to a six-point system).

Translation:

German - 5
French - 3
English language - -
Italian language - 5
History - 6
Geography - 4
Algebra - 6
Geometry (planimetry, trigonometry, solid geometry and analytical geometry) - 6
Descriptive geometry - 6
Physics - 6
Chemistry - 5
Natural history - 5
Artistic drawing - 4
Technical drawing - 4

As you can see, Einstein shone in exact sciences, and in other subjects he had decent grades. He received the highest score in history, algebra, trigonometry, geometry and physics. In other subjects, the estimates are a bit more modest. The lowest score - 3 - was received by him in French. However, during a visit to Jerusalem in 1923, he free lectured on French. Einstein was not certified only in English, and this circumstance made his life very difficult when he moved to the United States in 1933.

Where, then, did the myth of the poor performance of a genius come from?

The thing is that Einstein studied most of the time in Germany, but received a school certificate in Switzerland, where the grading system was the opposite of German: in Germany, the highest score was one, just below two, and so on, and Swiss teachers used a direct six-point system.

At school (the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich), Albert Einstein was indeed not one of the first students (although he never had problems with mathematics, Latin and physics). The reason for this was the freethinking of the future Nobel laureate. He did not tolerate the authoritarian attitude of teachers towards students, the atmosphere in the gymnasium, close to the military. “The teachers of the junior classes act like sergeants, and the teachers of the senior classes act like lieutenants,” Einstein later recalled. “I despise those who gladly march in formation to a music lesson - the brain was given to them by mistake. The spinal cord would have been enough! he wrote. The student did not hide his dislike of the teachers, and it was mutual. One day one of the teachers confessed to him: "It will be great when you finally leave the gymnasium." To Einstein's objection that he did nothing wrong, he explained: "Your presence and indifferent attitude to everything we teach in the classroom undermines the reputation of the whole school."

In addition, in the sixth grade of the gymnasium, Albert began serious problems with some of his teachers because he “constantly demanded evidence of religion and chose free thought.” Such skepticism was very rare in those days and not encouraged, especially in an educational institution of this type.

The passport

Thus, Einstein was a "bad" student only in the sense of behavior in a paramilitary school system, which was reduced to rote learning ("I was ready to endure any punishment, so as not to memorize incoherent nonsense"). But this is just one more proof of the extraordinary personality of the future Nobel laureate. Meanwhile, he did a lot of work on his own, was fond of reading. Of childhood impressions, Einstein later recalled as the most powerful: Euclid's Elements and I. Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. In addition, at the initiative of his mother, he began playing the violin at the age of six. Einstein's passion for music continued throughout his life. Already in the United States in Princeton, in 1934 Einstein gave a charity concert in favor of scientists and cultural figures who had emigrated from Nazi Germany, where he performed works by Mozart on the violin.

The mistake of one of the early biographers of the genius, who confused the Swiss system of knowledge assessment with the German one, also played a significant role in creating the myth of Einstein-deployer.

Thus, dear losers, you should not justify your laziness and lack of diligence with stories that study was bad for the author of the most incomprehensible theory in the world - this the purest water fiction. To get closer to Einstein, first try to reach one “five” in mathematics or understand something in the writings of Immanuel Kant.

By the way…

Here one more myth from the same series should be dispelled: that Einstein failed the final exam, and passed it only the second time. To do this, we will tell you more about the history of obtaining a certificate, a copy of which is given on this page.

In fact, Einstein left the gymnasium without having received a certificate, for the reasons disclosed above.

Father young man insisted that he put all this “philosophical nonsense” out of his head and think about how to get a sensible profession; he was leaning towards engineering, since his son was so fond of mathematics and physics. Father's advice had to be followed. At the family council, it was decided to send Albert to a technical educational institution. Moreover, it was necessary to choose one where teaching was conducted in his native language. German. Germany was excluded - Albert intended to renounce German citizenship so as not to serve in the army, where he was called up at the age of 17. Outside of Germany, the Zurich Polytechnic Institute (Polytechnic) was the most famous, and Einstein went there in the autumn of 1895, although he was 2 years short of the required 18 to enter.

According to his own recollections, he did not like the specialty that his parents chose for him to such an extent that he practically did not prepare in those subjects that did not interest him - botany, zoology, foreign languages. Accordingly, he passed them almost worse than all the applicants, although he distinguished himself in the exams in mathematics and physics. The absence of a gymnasium certificate also played a role: it was not accepted. However, the director of the institute, amazed by the young man's mathematical erudition, gave him good advice: to finish one of the Swiss secondary schools to obtain a certificate and a year later make another attempt to enter the institute. He recommended the cantonal school in the small town of Aarau as the most advanced in both teaching methods and teaching staff. Albert did just that, and in September of the following year he successfully passed everything final exams, and already in October 1896 he was admitted to the Polytechnic at the Pedagogical Faculty without exams.

Oh, and by the way, Nobel Prize the physicist received by no means for the theory of relativity, as many believe, but for the development quantum theory photoelectric effect.

Well, I will refrain from one more exposure or clarification.

If you have never seen this photo, then this is at least strange. But few people know how famous photo. And it all happened on March 14, 1951, when Albert Einstein celebrated his 72nd birthday. He left Princeton University with Dr. Eidelot and his wife. The three of them got into the car after celebrating the birthday of the genius of physics at the university. All the time they were annoyed by photographers and reporters. But one of them stood aside, waiting for the main crowd of journalists to disperse. After waiting, Arthur Sas approached those sitting in the car and asked the professor to smile for a birthday photo.

In response, Einstein - SHOWED THE LANGUAGE!

Here's what it looks like full version famous photo. This frame has become a legendary symbol of the originality of a man of genius.
In the editorial office where Artur Szas worked, they could not decide for a long time whether to publish such an unusual frame and the frame was nevertheless published. Seeing himself sticking out his tongue on the front page of a newspaper, Albert Einstein fell in love with the picture. He immediately cut out the photo to the usual size for us and made copies that he sent as a postcard to his friends. A year before his death, he wrote to one of his friends that

Many losers console themselves with the thought that Albert Einstein - the great physicist, author of the famous theory of relativity, Nobel laureate (by the way, he received the Nobel Prize not for this theory at all, but for studying the photoelectric effect) - was also a loser in childhood.

But is it true?

As you can see, Einstein shone in the exact sciences, and in other subjects he had decent grades. He received the highest score in history, algebra, trigonometry, geometry and physics. In other subjects, the estimates are a bit more modest. The lowest mark - 3 - was received by him in French. However, during a visit to Jerusalem in 1923, he free gave a lecture in French. Einstein was not certified only in English, and this circumstance made his life very difficult when he moved to the United States in 1933.

Where, then, did the myth of the poor performance of a genius come from?

Albert Einstein in 1893, aged 14

The fact is that at school (the Luitpold Gymnasium in Munich), Albert Einstein really was not one of the first students (although he never had problems with mathematics, Latin and physics). The reason for this was the freethinking of the future Nobel laureate. He did not tolerate the authoritarian attitude of teachers towards students, the atmosphere in the gymnasium, close to the military. "The junior school teachers act like sergeants, and the senior school teachers act like lieutenants," Einstein later recalled. “I despise those who gladly march in formation to a music lesson - the brain was given to them by mistake. The spinal cord would have been enough! he wrote. The student did not hide his dislike of the teachers, and it was mutual. Once one of the teachers confessed to him: "It will be great when you finally leave the gymnasium." To Einstein's objection that he did nothing wrong, he explained: "Your presence and indifferent attitude to everything we teach in the classroom undermines the reputation of the whole school."

In addition, in the sixth grade of the gymnasium, Albert began to have serious problems with some of the teachers due to the fact that he “constantly demanded evidence of religion and chose free thought.” Such skepticism was very rare in those days and not encouraged, especially in an educational institution of this type.

Thus, dear losers, you should not justify your laziness and lack of diligence with stories that the study was bad for the author of the most incomprehensible theory in the world - this is pure fiction. To get closer to Einstein, try to start with one "five" in mathematics or understand something in the writings of Immanuel Kant.

By the way...

In fact, Einstein left the gymnasium without having received a certificate, for the reasons disclosed above.

The young man's father insisted that he put all this "philosophical nonsense" out of his head and think about how to get a sensible profession; he was leaning towards engineering, since his son was so fond of mathematics and physics. Father's advice had to be followed. At the family council, it was decided to send Albert to a technical educational institution. Moreover, it was necessary to choose one where teaching was conducted in his native German language. Germany was excluded - Albert intended to renounce German citizenship so as not to serve in the army, where he was called up at the age of 17. Outside of Germany, the Zurich Polytechnic Institute (Polytechnic) was the most famous, and Einstein went there in the fall of 1895, although he was 2 years short of the required 18 to enter.

According to his own recollections, he did not like the specialty that his parents chose for him to such an extent that he practically did not prepare in those subjects that did not interest him - botany, zoology, foreign languages. Accordingly, he passed them almost worse than all the applicants, although he distinguished himself in the exams in mathematics and physics. The absence of a gymnasium certificate also played a role: it was not accepted. However, the director of the institute, amazed by the young man's mathematical erudition, gave him good advice: to finish one of the Swiss secondary schools to obtain a certificate and a year later make another attempt to enter the institute. He recommended the cantonal school in the small town of Aarau as the most advanced in both teaching methods and teaching staff. Albert did just that, and in September of the following year he successfully passed all the final exams, and already in October 1896 he was admitted to the Polytechnic at the Pedagogical Faculty without exams.

True, this theory does not explain how Einstein - according to the biographer - was able to enter the Polytechnic Institute with "6" in all mathematical disciplines and physics, as well as "5" in chemistry and a number of other subjects.

Here is a hypothesis about the origin of the myth:

Das Gerücht, dass Einstein allgemein ein schlechter Schüler war, ist falsch: Es geht auf Einsteins ersten Biografen zurück, der das Benotungssystem der Schweiz mit dem deutschen verwechselte.

Objectively, Einstein was not a bad student.(in Russian - "double student" or "triple student"), just as he was not a "round excellent student" or even a "good student". Even as a child, he was very self-willed, did not really want to study subjects that were not of interest to him (and, on the contrary, he studied those that were of interest beyond the program; at the same time he lost his religiosity at the age of 12) - he received appropriate (but at least satisfactory) marks, was not afraid to express his opinion and argue with authorities (teachers, the director of the gymnasium, or his own father: at least on the issue of higher education, he went to the polytechnic, where he wanted to, and not where his father wanted to send).

Einstein did not finish the German gymnasium not because of poor progress (he did not have unsatisfactory grades) but because of a conflict with the director and teachers. They believed that Einstein behaved too badly and, moreover, negatively influenced others. In a word, he does not respect authorities and does not fit into the system. However, Einstein was not expelled, but simply left on his own. At the age of 15, by the way. Moreover, the parents already lived in another country (in Italy), and after a couple of years, they were threatened with being called up to serve in the Kaiser’s army (it was enough to live up to 17 years in Germany to turn into a military man), where Einstein did not want at all. By the way, he soon also refused German citizenship and for a number of years did not have any citizenship at all.

At the age of 16 - in Italy - he wrote the first scientific article("On the study of the state of the ether in a magnetic field"), which he sent to his uncle in Belgium for review. (And what scientific article did you write when you were 16? I, for example, did not.) The work was not sent to scientific journals and was not published.

Then the family moved to Switzerland and Einstein tried to get into the polytechnic. Since he did not have an education that gave him the right to enter a university (in Germany it is called Abitur, in Switzerland - Matura), he had to take entrance exams (by the way, if he remained in the gymnasium, he would still continue to study and did not enter any university at the age of 16 would). Either he failed the exam in French (as the German Wikipedia claims), or also botany (as the Russian one claims), or - to the heap - also zoology (as stated in the previous answer). In any case, he passed everything else, although he did not finish his studies at the gymnasium, and, it seems, he did not take private lessons (except for learning to play the violin).

You know that the great scientist of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein, school years was considered lazy, unable to study well?

Einstein's teachers really considered his mental abilities to be very meager. Because of this, Albert Einstein at the end of his studies at the gymnasium was not able to receive the matriculation certificate that other students received. He could not even enter the Zurich Polytechnic on his first attempt.

But all these facts, in fact, were evidence not of the meager mind of a genius, but of mistakes. educational process. Einstein himself, as an adult, admitted that he was disgusted existing methods education. According to him, they killed in the bud all the creative processes that were born in the minds of students. Here is an exact quote from his words: "they killed the sacred curiosity, a property necessary for scientific research."

Einstein was very negative about the mechanical memorization of scientific material, he considered this method harmful, since the creative process of thinking is not compatible with simple “memorization”.
Here is such interesting fact was in the life of the greatest scientist Albert Einstein. This fact should give thought to those people who shape our modern educational system. After all, if Einstein himself believed mechanical study material harmful to the development of thinking, then do we, "mere mortals" have the right to argue with him? This is worth thinking about for each of us.

What do we really know about this person?

The associative mechanism of the brain slipped images and formulas - the hair on the head disheveled in creative chaos, a lush mustache, E = mc2, a protruding tongue in a super-popular photograph, the postulates of the theory of relativity, the speed of light, and so on and so forth, which, as it turned out, had nothing to do with to the man Einstein, but was, rather, his pop projection in the mind. A sort of simplified image with two or three labels. I felt ashamed, and I decided to get acquainted with the biography of the great namesake closer. The result of the work was this short, but I hope an interesting excerpt of seven little known facts that took place in the life of a genius.

Einstein was born a weak and sickly child during a difficult birth. His gigantic, irregularly deformed head aroused serious suspicions of doctors about the child's congenital mental retardation. Concerned parents watched in horror as the boy grew up and was silent. Albert did not utter a single word until the age of four. But even after reaching this seemingly already sufficient age for a conversation, the boy spoke very slowly, which aggravated the suspicion of some developmental retardation.

In 1952, when Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, died, the country's prime minister invited Einstein to head the state. Hey boy, you should do the same for your country's politics as you do for physics he suggested to the scientist. However, he refused the honorary position, expressing regret at the lack of the necessary personal qualities for big politics - “I’m afraid I don’t have the natural abilities and experience to deal with politicians and properly manage the state,” the scientist “froze off”.

Einstein died in 1955 at the age of 76. He needed an urgent operation, then he could live a few more years. But the scientist refused, telling the doctors: “I want to leave when my body asks for it. Prolonging life artificially seems to me in bad taste. This is my destiny, my time to leave. I'll do it gracefully." Seven hours after his death, autopsy expert Thomas Harver removed the brain of a scientist for study without the consent of relatives and friends. Moving from one state to another for work, Harvey carried the spirited brain of a genius with him everywhere. In the end, already in the 90s. of the last century, the brain was found in the new laboratory of Princeton University, where Harver removed them from the skull of the great scientist.

The brilliant physicist had an illegitimate daughter from Mileva Marich, his first wife. They formalized the relationship a year after the birth of the child. Interestingly, nothing is known about the further fate of the girl. At that time, Marich lived with her parents in Vojvodina without a loved one. Most likely, the girl died or was given up for education. A year later, in 1903, Einstein and Marich were married in Bern, and in 1904 their son Hans-Albert was born.

Before dying in his sleep, Einstein spoke his last words to the nurse in German, which she did not speak. Thus, these words were forever lost to posterity. The last entry ends in mid-sentence: "Political passions fan the flames, people are like their victims ...".

Translation:

By the way...

What do we really know about this person?

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