Albert Einstein and relativity - Steve Parker

Part of a series on science discoveries which looks at the implications of the discoveries today. This book explores the life of Albert Einstein within a historical context, and explains the importance of his general theory of relativity which was published in 1916. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics (1921) not for his work on relativity but for his less important work on the photoelectric effect.;As he spoke out against Germany's political and military aims, Einstein did not stay in Germany and was based at Princeton for the rest of his life. Special relativity was accepted in a few years. It was in the mainstream of scientific events as it had many uses in nuclear physics and quantum mechanics. Einstein used it to explain the underlying order of the Universe. It was not until the 1960s that giant "particle accelerators" and other equipment became more powerful, so parts of the theory could be tested.;Einstein's theories have led to a better understanding of the way the Universe works, from the force of gravity we feel on earth, to the movement of the stars and planets through space and time.