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Transcripts For CSPAN2 David Bodanis Discusses Einsteins Gre
Transcripts For CSPAN2 David Bodanis Discusses Einsteins Gre
Transcripts For CSPAN2 David Bodanis Discusses Einsteins Greatest Mistake 20170117
From the traditions of the himalayas and bring them to you in the foothills. And thats where were exploring this whole season of this nature of what it actually is. Is it knowledge, insight, understanding . So with the people from different areas together to have conversations and find out what is wisdom for them. In a few of them will be here on monday to talk about intuition with the psychologist david and an actress who is joining a book about animal wisdom, it the studies of for mobility in the congo and look at their relationships and how they mirror some of ours. And probably not those that be reflected on
Television Later
tonight. And then its awful to think i hope you can join us on our journey. So one aspect of knowledge that we want to address tonight, it where does it spring from, what is the understanding that makes it go beyond common understanding and knowledge that we possess as a society and what better example to choose from then einstein. They have just come out with a new book, a biography but he entitles it einsteins greatest mistake. If you cannot imagine what that was you will find out tonight. Its interesting what he writes about the nature of genius and i will read you a short paragraph. Geniuses have to push hard to come up with their first ideas. Almost all are going far past what everyone seems to be true and have to be confident that they are right. That involves being stubborn. But they also need to make sure their breakthroughs and factual information the does einstein do it in any part of his life . Then theres no stranger bestsellers, his book the secret house in 1986 was 86 was on the
New York Times
bestsellers, and he calls mc squared and you heard that equation before and thats in 28 languages and it also became a belly in london. He is being rejoined on stage who is with this conversation brought out a mind blowing play called proof which one of pulitzer and may be questioned the nature of genius and so bringing these two together to hear and address questions and then later on see later on because this is a book celebration. So please welcome david. [applause] this is exciting. David and i have never met that i think youll find a few things to talk about. Ive read the book over the last couple of days. Its a wonderful book. You cast a very wide net. Its about einstein but also about many other things and you do everything with such a light touch. I thought we could talk about the title to begin with. I dont know if we want to give it away. Its a spoilers dial as to what the greatest mistake was. I thought i knew what it was, it was about his use of a constant which he famously said was his greatest mistake. He had added to one of his equations and they were to do an account for what he thought was the universe. But thats not einsteins greatest mistake. To and talk about a little bit about what is . Where to begin. Einstein believed that the universe was like a book. If its like a book that means theres a writer of the book, there might be if the universe was different like a magazine you couldnt try it in complete order. There be
Something Like
this summer and and it wouldnt come together. In 1915 he found a beautiful simple equation that physicists think comes once a century century or maybe once in a millennium. If predicted it predicted the universe is expanding. In 1915 all scientists all scientists told scientists that the
Experimental Evidence
s on big us. They thought it it was just a bunch of stars in the galaxy in space and beyond it was nothing. Sort of like donald trump spraying. Theres just empty space beyond. Einstein had to modify but he had beautiful sports car oldstyle porsche or something. And people say no thats not the right style. How do you make this stuff ugly . They didnt like it. Then they had to do it because the universe was not expanding. Ten years later and astronomers said we were wrong. All of our evidences wrong and the university is is expanding. Einstein said i knew it. I shouldve stock what i believe did cutting through the veils, all the complexity around us to see the simple clarity behind it all where everything was clean, and pristine. So we got rid of those modifications and he went back to his beautiful original equation. As a sort of a mistake many make in your life and it doesnt destroy you. Theres something that did destroy him its a conclusion conclusion that he drew from that. He decided he listen to
Experimental Evidence
even when his heart and intuition showed and assisted there is a clarity behind everything. If he held his ground he wouldve been right he just wouldve had to wait ten years. On the night theres a study coming in the 1920s that electrons are smaller than that and it suggests on the tiniest level that everything is not fluid like a ocean wave, theres probabilities and uncertainties, and these
Quantum Mechanics
cannot see an exact precise truth. When that came in einstein said, this doesnt make sense. It doesnt fit my belief that the universe is a clean book. People said it wraps it up, this i know know for ten years i left something beautiful with
Experimental Evidence
. Im not going to do it again. And that destroyed his life. For the next 30 years his mind was that a superb level. But he was isolated, physicist said stay away from einstein, ignore him, hes dangerous and wrong. It was a horrible thing. Movie stars, charlie chaplin, all sorts of other people but the connections he had with other working physicists came to an end. He was terribly sad. You talk about sort of the godfather of the mechanics who had a physicists from all over the world the same was not true even that his very gregarious and warm person. Thats what really hurt. Einstein used to say that theres two types of thinkers in the world. You can imagine for yourself or your friends around you what category are going. Tennis players if you have a problem you come to work on monday and he go home and meet your family think i want to find other people to talk to thats work this out. Golfers are totally different. They come come to work on monday morning with the problem they say i have a problem give me some space i want to go for a walk, tennis players are golfers. Einstein was a tennis player. Grad students with one or two people around here a balance ideas he would need quiet time to do this but he couldnt do it on his own. He didnt like it on his own. He had grown up in a warm and cuddly family. After this happened when he felt like he was holding on for the truth he thought it was the universe was a simple exact book. Heres forced to be a golfer. His force in princeton new jersey, he spoke and the people were pretentious. He said it was the
Area Community
demagogues, but it hurt his feelings and it wasnt just a matter of some people become stodgy when theyre older, some dont. Einsteins mind was terrific. At one point to pass and came up with the notion of highly separated particles can synchronize in a way even at opposite ends of the universe. The essay did behind the new
Quantum Computers
being built. He was ingenious with the first order even when he was older. And later he came up with the early concept of as well. He did his main work in astronomy that came to the head in the 1915 in world war i. And it was the next year he came up with the idea that came up with lasers there were only a prep for another 40 or 50 years. Lets talk to him as a genius i we should probably be good with university of chicago must mean something other than someone whos really smart or talented. Did you have a working definition of that when youre working on this book . I was thought theres two things that separate genius from talent. A talented person does something you can do and they do it better. If i were to run in a race with usain bolt i would highly recommend that you dont vote on me to win. You can imagine if i was stronger and have more muscle i can understand how he does it, i just cant do it. Genius is different. So when you have no idea of how they got there. A great director music, occasionally mozart can be dealt and then something comes in and it sounds like a joke, where did it come from . Is brilliant but unexpected but yet it makes sense. So they can imagine how they do it. Michael jordan at his peak was able to be like that. The other thing about genius is think about the first part, people people just coming from unexpected angles they can be cranky, genius is also correct. What they find is right. I was struck in your book that you emphasize that einstein wasnt necessarily a mathematical genius, he had talents but math is not his strongest suits. He was not the best calculator, technically he wasnt as proficient as some of those that he relied on to do his work, but he had almost a visual imagination that allowed him to see things that no one else could see and then he would look from those visual images backward to build then five damages he had in his head. Thats right. He had a vision, how could david and i walked parallel and yet you think its impossible but einstein can visualize it in his head. We are walking parallel a few yards away from each other and yet we serve together and we always stay parallel, seems seems impossible. How could that happen . Suppose david and i are on the equator on the earth, we start walking parallel but on the curved we end up hitting at the north pole. We see an intellectual source pulling us together even though were faking it. He say no i am walking due north. And those waiting visions were important. Another thing about the correct genius not just the cranky person is there is a truth theyre leaning towards. Einstein once said he felt like a little boy inside a huge library and on the worlds library theres a hidden room and theres these books and they had all of the wisdom of the universe. It preexisted and normally couldnt see it it was dark but occasionally the greatest numbers in our species could take one of the books off the shelf, pull it down, open it and they would see occasionally the truth. One might might sign equals mc squared. Another might say its a golden world and then youre forced to close the book and put it on the shelf and withdraw. Einstein believed he had vision. Even when he didnt succeed when he was first passing with the laser he knew it was there waiting. I liked in the book, your descriptions of these intellectual tennis games he played, especially when he is not seen the strongest challenges theres a conference in brussels in 1928. He described every morning einstein getting up and walking with he says heres why it couldnt be true because imagine theres a box and he wrestles with this all day and all night and then why he thinks it doesnt succeed. I love the idea of these two guys who are cutting back and forth these concrete images and almost playing a game. The mathematics in detail come later but the images that are so clear and precise. I was one of the things that i tried to incorporate when i write a book. Theres also equations in some
Popular Science
books where people take a
University Textbook
and they clarify. But here he tried to do something different. Suppose he didnt know what the content of that was. They met einstein, but they even gave einstein some of his favorite tea which was a special thing to do. And einstein out of love pretended he enjoyed it. And they got along well because they shared that vision, at least in einsteins view they seem to believe that there is a waiting book and he found a man who he respected as a human being and he was a fine noble man. Theyre sharing the same goal. He said love isnt working together in each others eyes is looking together in same direction. But then when the
Quantum Mechanics
started coming in one by one people left einstein side. They said well you talk about things being in the book are god doesnt play nice with the universe but the
Experimental Evidence
time after time is showing that theres foam on a beautiful ocean theres probability and uncertainty, and sorry we have to leave you. When i was young i met an old man in paris who is a french prints and he was one of the people stay close to einstein. He does bribes what it was like and einstein was going out to berlin and he said youll stay with me right he was a mentor and kinda respected and he said i might not like it but i have to go there. One by one everybody was sleeping. And they ended up being the leader of the site. So at this great conference they both came to a head and respected einstein so much that he knew there is some accent exception where it didnt apply einstein would be right. When i can go into details with it but very roughly it can be thought of as like this. Suppose i tried to measure what the air pressure is inside the tire. So i get a little gay and i stick it in the tire. But suppose were having as i do it david comes by and they are starts hissing out. And and i say with a measuring air in the tire. By the time i look at it and might say 12 ounces per square, well when i first put it in the air comes out. But if you think about it the second i put it in i get a figure but the figure slightly wrong. Its like if you open the refrigerator seems the temperature a little bit of cold air turns out or is slightly different from before it says if youre really careful, however carefully or something is going to be lost as you interact with the event. And indeed the event underneath whatever youre looking at is not going to be precise. You can even say whether to air pressures was. For einstein said theyre not skilled enough but they developed as you said. A box with lights flashing around inside of it and when the clock ticks little hole opened in the back im you can measure about how much the changes. So something goes out and at that exact moment you can see how much came out. It happened without a by testing it. They could work out what was wrong with it. This was correct then you could measure without interacting in it. Theres a photograph that night when his dad was an electrical engineer contractor. He likes bill in things. When when his sons were little he get a matchbox and string and he would make these in switzerland. Hed make cable cars for the kids. Does so yes is wonderful box einstein is smiling as can be the next morning who is smart said einstein, when that that box has a little bit of glycol and i said yes the box if you way it goes up a little. Ways just a little bit less. And einstein realized the problem. It turns out by einsteins relativity time is a little bit not the same as air pressure. But think of air pressure. When youre on the surface of the earth the heirs quite tense. As you go higher up its even thinner. It turns out for various reasons time worked on a certain speed. If you go higher changes that even more. So as it moves up theres a certain uncertainty so youre at a different point in the field. Einsteins theory of relativity made his ideal not work. He has the good grace to say okay, in this case youre right. That was the last time einstein tried to fight back. But in in his heart he knew he was right. In his heart he was convinced he was right. If you ever argued something that might be more twists and turns and but he knew his life,. He understood the irony that he was through the old model so now later in life using the same position of the stodgy objector of the new ways of coming along. I was struck in your book how open he was about the humor in the situation is not that he was blind to the situation, why do you think you found it so difficult to give inner join or ally himself with people who are not overturning things that he created the pushing beyond what he had created. I think the way einstein viewed it is that he hadnt become wasnt that he was adventurous when he was young and became stodgy as something had been happen hed been lucky enough that theres a genius in order and clarity that he felt there is a long tradition of that. He just said it was there. His religious views tiein with the overhears somebody who they believe they have a new testament and
Old Testament
and the manifestations that they develop historically. Einstein was against atheists. He said how could you be so sure. And over here he didnt follow the details. He thought moses was a wise man but didnt leave the
Ten Commandments
came from god on mount sinai. So his views were much like his favorite philosopher in the 1600s, theres patterns in the universe was significant. You dont understand what they are, we really are like a child looking at complex screen. But its there. So einstein felt he was in tradition. Plato, to some extent even himself. He had been able to apply decent mind he was a b and a student. He had applied these to sam i not be smarter than others but i have the persistence of a mule. So he would really work on his stuff. He felt thats what he had done. It turns out he was going off on the stuff about the probability and quantum mechanical and the reason the direct line he had and the reason he believed it is it actually happened before. For ten years all all scientists had gone in a certain direction. Going with him he did a simple equation in me found out theres a tributary. If that had taken ten years if theyre not made certain observations. When
Quantum Mechanics
were coming in einstein thought its just a tributary. After a while it was just a mainstream of underlying truth which i was lucky to reveal. It might be longer than my life staying lifespan but it will come back. He thought history would retain. , and it does seem that
Quantum Mechanics
works very well sold loans and our cameras in the internet depend on us strange fluctuation not totally random but im kind of ashamed is like that that is different than what einstein believed even then the technology that we have could be shown to be an asset of the deeper truth when einstein was young working on general relativity of time and space he said he felt there was a lie
Hidden Health
care maybe he could touch the tight the tale he could not tuttle the or see the whole thing but he said ive convinced it is there. That was his belief. I was moved by the book when you talked about people in his core that contributed to his thinking or assisted him that may have been just a couple years behind him five. But then there is somebody that i was really interested in. Talk about that little bit. The word computer determines out over 100 years ago it meant a woman who was calculating things at the observatory harvard hatter real observatory and they had a hold banks of computers many were highly trained she was good at mathematics and was bright but it was really hard for women to get jobs back then a woman could not set up of bank account in her own name. And then to
Television Later<\/a> tonight. And then its awful to think i hope you can join us on our journey. So one aspect of knowledge that we want to address tonight, it where does it spring from, what is the understanding that makes it go beyond common understanding and knowledge that we possess as a society and what better example to choose from then einstein. They have just come out with a new book, a biography but he entitles it einsteins greatest mistake. If you cannot imagine what that was you will find out tonight. Its interesting what he writes about the nature of genius and i will read you a short paragraph. Geniuses have to push hard to come up with their first ideas. Almost all are going far past what everyone seems to be true and have to be confident that they are right. That involves being stubborn. But they also need to make sure their breakthroughs and factual information the does einstein do it in any part of his life . Then theres no stranger bestsellers, his book the secret house in 1986 was 86 was on the
New York Times<\/a> bestsellers, and he calls mc squared and you heard that equation before and thats in 28 languages and it also became a belly in london. He is being rejoined on stage who is with this conversation brought out a mind blowing play called proof which one of pulitzer and may be questioned the nature of genius and so bringing these two together to hear and address questions and then later on see later on because this is a book celebration. So please welcome david. [applause] this is exciting. David and i have never met that i think youll find a few things to talk about. Ive read the book over the last couple of days. Its a wonderful book. You cast a very wide net. Its about einstein but also about many other things and you do everything with such a light touch. I thought we could talk about the title to begin with. I dont know if we want to give it away. Its a spoilers dial as to what the greatest mistake was. I thought i knew what it was, it was about his use of a constant which he famously said was his greatest mistake. He had added to one of his equations and they were to do an account for what he thought was the universe. But thats not einsteins greatest mistake. To and talk about a little bit about what is . Where to begin. Einstein believed that the universe was like a book. If its like a book that means theres a writer of the book, there might be if the universe was different like a magazine you couldnt try it in complete order. There be
Something Like<\/a> this summer and and it wouldnt come together. In 1915 he found a beautiful simple equation that physicists think comes once a century century or maybe once in a millennium. If predicted it predicted the universe is expanding. In 1915 all scientists all scientists told scientists that the
Experimental Evidence<\/a>s on big us. They thought it it was just a bunch of stars in the galaxy in space and beyond it was nothing. Sort of like donald trump spraying. Theres just empty space beyond. Einstein had to modify but he had beautiful sports car oldstyle porsche or something. And people say no thats not the right style. How do you make this stuff ugly . They didnt like it. Then they had to do it because the universe was not expanding. Ten years later and astronomers said we were wrong. All of our evidences wrong and the university is is expanding. Einstein said i knew it. I shouldve stock what i believe did cutting through the veils, all the complexity around us to see the simple clarity behind it all where everything was clean, and pristine. So we got rid of those modifications and he went back to his beautiful original equation. As a sort of a mistake many make in your life and it doesnt destroy you. Theres something that did destroy him its a conclusion conclusion that he drew from that. He decided he listen to
Experimental Evidence<\/a> even when his heart and intuition showed and assisted there is a clarity behind everything. If he held his ground he wouldve been right he just wouldve had to wait ten years. On the night theres a study coming in the 1920s that electrons are smaller than that and it suggests on the tiniest level that everything is not fluid like a ocean wave, theres probabilities and uncertainties, and these
Quantum Mechanics<\/a> cannot see an exact precise truth. When that came in einstein said, this doesnt make sense. It doesnt fit my belief that the universe is a clean book. People said it wraps it up, this i know know for ten years i left something beautiful with
Experimental Evidence<\/a>. Im not going to do it again. And that destroyed his life. For the next 30 years his mind was that a superb level. But he was isolated, physicist said stay away from einstein, ignore him, hes dangerous and wrong. It was a horrible thing. Movie stars, charlie chaplin, all sorts of other people but the connections he had with other working physicists came to an end. He was terribly sad. You talk about sort of the godfather of the mechanics who had a physicists from all over the world the same was not true even that his very gregarious and warm person. Thats what really hurt. Einstein used to say that theres two types of thinkers in the world. You can imagine for yourself or your friends around you what category are going. Tennis players if you have a problem you come to work on monday and he go home and meet your family think i want to find other people to talk to thats work this out. Golfers are totally different. They come come to work on monday morning with the problem they say i have a problem give me some space i want to go for a walk, tennis players are golfers. Einstein was a tennis player. Grad students with one or two people around here a balance ideas he would need quiet time to do this but he couldnt do it on his own. He didnt like it on his own. He had grown up in a warm and cuddly family. After this happened when he felt like he was holding on for the truth he thought it was the universe was a simple exact book. Heres forced to be a golfer. His force in princeton new jersey, he spoke and the people were pretentious. He said it was the
Area Community<\/a> demagogues, but it hurt his feelings and it wasnt just a matter of some people become stodgy when theyre older, some dont. Einsteins mind was terrific. At one point to pass and came up with the notion of highly separated particles can synchronize in a way even at opposite ends of the universe. The essay did behind the new
Quantum Computers<\/a> being built. He was ingenious with the first order even when he was older. And later he came up with the early concept of as well. He did his main work in astronomy that came to the head in the 1915 in world war i. And it was the next year he came up with the idea that came up with lasers there were only a prep for another 40 or 50 years. Lets talk to him as a genius i we should probably be good with university of chicago must mean something other than someone whos really smart or talented. Did you have a working definition of that when youre working on this book . I was thought theres two things that separate genius from talent. A talented person does something you can do and they do it better. If i were to run in a race with usain bolt i would highly recommend that you dont vote on me to win. You can imagine if i was stronger and have more muscle i can understand how he does it, i just cant do it. Genius is different. So when you have no idea of how they got there. A great director music, occasionally mozart can be dealt and then something comes in and it sounds like a joke, where did it come from . Is brilliant but unexpected but yet it makes sense. So they can imagine how they do it. Michael jordan at his peak was able to be like that. The other thing about genius is think about the first part, people people just coming from unexpected angles they can be cranky, genius is also correct. What they find is right. I was struck in your book that you emphasize that einstein wasnt necessarily a mathematical genius, he had talents but math is not his strongest suits. He was not the best calculator, technically he wasnt as proficient as some of those that he relied on to do his work, but he had almost a visual imagination that allowed him to see things that no one else could see and then he would look from those visual images backward to build then five damages he had in his head. Thats right. He had a vision, how could david and i walked parallel and yet you think its impossible but einstein can visualize it in his head. We are walking parallel a few yards away from each other and yet we serve together and we always stay parallel, seems seems impossible. How could that happen . Suppose david and i are on the equator on the earth, we start walking parallel but on the curved we end up hitting at the north pole. We see an intellectual source pulling us together even though were faking it. He say no i am walking due north. And those waiting visions were important. Another thing about the correct genius not just the cranky person is there is a truth theyre leaning towards. Einstein once said he felt like a little boy inside a huge library and on the worlds library theres a hidden room and theres these books and they had all of the wisdom of the universe. It preexisted and normally couldnt see it it was dark but occasionally the greatest numbers in our species could take one of the books off the shelf, pull it down, open it and they would see occasionally the truth. One might might sign equals mc squared. Another might say its a golden world and then youre forced to close the book and put it on the shelf and withdraw. Einstein believed he had vision. Even when he didnt succeed when he was first passing with the laser he knew it was there waiting. I liked in the book, your descriptions of these intellectual tennis games he played, especially when he is not seen the strongest challenges theres a conference in brussels in 1928. He described every morning einstein getting up and walking with he says heres why it couldnt be true because imagine theres a box and he wrestles with this all day and all night and then why he thinks it doesnt succeed. I love the idea of these two guys who are cutting back and forth these concrete images and almost playing a game. The mathematics in detail come later but the images that are so clear and precise. I was one of the things that i tried to incorporate when i write a book. Theres also equations in some
Popular Science<\/a> books where people take a
University Textbook<\/a> and they clarify. But here he tried to do something different. Suppose he didnt know what the content of that was. They met einstein, but they even gave einstein some of his favorite tea which was a special thing to do. And einstein out of love pretended he enjoyed it. And they got along well because they shared that vision, at least in einsteins view they seem to believe that there is a waiting book and he found a man who he respected as a human being and he was a fine noble man. Theyre sharing the same goal. He said love isnt working together in each others eyes is looking together in same direction. But then when the
Quantum Mechanics<\/a> started coming in one by one people left einstein side. They said well you talk about things being in the book are god doesnt play nice with the universe but the
Experimental Evidence<\/a> time after time is showing that theres foam on a beautiful ocean theres probability and uncertainty, and sorry we have to leave you. When i was young i met an old man in paris who is a french prints and he was one of the people stay close to einstein. He does bribes what it was like and einstein was going out to berlin and he said youll stay with me right he was a mentor and kinda respected and he said i might not like it but i have to go there. One by one everybody was sleeping. And they ended up being the leader of the site. So at this great conference they both came to a head and respected einstein so much that he knew there is some accent exception where it didnt apply einstein would be right. When i can go into details with it but very roughly it can be thought of as like this. Suppose i tried to measure what the air pressure is inside the tire. So i get a little gay and i stick it in the tire. But suppose were having as i do it david comes by and they are starts hissing out. And and i say with a measuring air in the tire. By the time i look at it and might say 12 ounces per square, well when i first put it in the air comes out. But if you think about it the second i put it in i get a figure but the figure slightly wrong. Its like if you open the refrigerator seems the temperature a little bit of cold air turns out or is slightly different from before it says if youre really careful, however carefully or something is going to be lost as you interact with the event. And indeed the event underneath whatever youre looking at is not going to be precise. You can even say whether to air pressures was. For einstein said theyre not skilled enough but they developed as you said. A box with lights flashing around inside of it and when the clock ticks little hole opened in the back im you can measure about how much the changes. So something goes out and at that exact moment you can see how much came out. It happened without a by testing it. They could work out what was wrong with it. This was correct then you could measure without interacting in it. Theres a photograph that night when his dad was an electrical engineer contractor. He likes bill in things. When when his sons were little he get a matchbox and string and he would make these in switzerland. Hed make cable cars for the kids. Does so yes is wonderful box einstein is smiling as can be the next morning who is smart said einstein, when that that box has a little bit of glycol and i said yes the box if you way it goes up a little. Ways just a little bit less. And einstein realized the problem. It turns out by einsteins relativity time is a little bit not the same as air pressure. But think of air pressure. When youre on the surface of the earth the heirs quite tense. As you go higher up its even thinner. It turns out for various reasons time worked on a certain speed. If you go higher changes that even more. So as it moves up theres a certain uncertainty so youre at a different point in the field. Einsteins theory of relativity made his ideal not work. He has the good grace to say okay, in this case youre right. That was the last time einstein tried to fight back. But in in his heart he knew he was right. In his heart he was convinced he was right. If you ever argued something that might be more twists and turns and but he knew his life,. He understood the irony that he was through the old model so now later in life using the same position of the stodgy objector of the new ways of coming along. I was struck in your book how open he was about the humor in the situation is not that he was blind to the situation, why do you think you found it so difficult to give inner join or ally himself with people who are not overturning things that he created the pushing beyond what he had created. I think the way einstein viewed it is that he hadnt become wasnt that he was adventurous when he was young and became stodgy as something had been happen hed been lucky enough that theres a genius in order and clarity that he felt there is a long tradition of that. He just said it was there. His religious views tiein with the overhears somebody who they believe they have a new testament and
Old Testament<\/a> and the manifestations that they develop historically. Einstein was against atheists. He said how could you be so sure. And over here he didnt follow the details. He thought moses was a wise man but didnt leave the
Ten Commandments<\/a> came from god on mount sinai. So his views were much like his favorite philosopher in the 1600s, theres patterns in the universe was significant. You dont understand what they are, we really are like a child looking at complex screen. But its there. So einstein felt he was in tradition. Plato, to some extent even himself. He had been able to apply decent mind he was a b and a student. He had applied these to sam i not be smarter than others but i have the persistence of a mule. So he would really work on his stuff. He felt thats what he had done. It turns out he was going off on the stuff about the probability and quantum mechanical and the reason the direct line he had and the reason he believed it is it actually happened before. For ten years all all scientists had gone in a certain direction. Going with him he did a simple equation in me found out theres a tributary. If that had taken ten years if theyre not made certain observations. When
Quantum Mechanics<\/a> were coming in einstein thought its just a tributary. After a while it was just a mainstream of underlying truth which i was lucky to reveal. It might be longer than my life staying lifespan but it will come back. He thought history would retain. , and it does seem that
Quantum Mechanics<\/a> works very well sold loans and our cameras in the internet depend on us strange fluctuation not totally random but im kind of ashamed is like that that is different than what einstein believed even then the technology that we have could be shown to be an asset of the deeper truth when einstein was young working on general relativity of time and space he said he felt there was a lie
Hidden Health<\/a> care maybe he could touch the tight the tale he could not tuttle the or see the whole thing but he said ive convinced it is there. That was his belief. I was moved by the book when you talked about people in his core that contributed to his thinking or assisted him that may have been just a couple years behind him five. But then there is somebody that i was really interested in. Talk about that little bit. The word computer determines out over 100 years ago it meant a woman who was calculating things at the observatory harvard hatter real observatory and they had a hold banks of computers many were highly trained she was good at mathematics and was bright but it was really hard for women to get jobs back then a woman could not set up of bank account in her own name. And then to
Say Something<\/a> malicious they could not get any of their jobs. Also they have highly trained women calculating there were stuck in the back but then they would say the of the person with say insulting things and you would believe it. They said they could do that. I am stuck year in the wrong historical period. In the and there were many examples so it was hard but not impossible so what do duplex make the most of that facility get those new results she noticed that most astronomers believe everything existed nothing beyond their birth some clouds we could see in the sky. People thought they were little clouds pushy started to look in more detail that there was a search light flashing look at this photograph taken maybe find another one. And try to compare it she could use that beacon to go on and on and then you could see is the distance changing . Who was a wonderful motion and then you could see i can tell how far away they are. If you say it is a certain brightness and they could use that becomes a yardstick in his day in magna this recovery. So have the tools they needed and without
Hubble Einstein<\/a> would not have the in distending of the universe. Exactly. The irony goes on and on. If she had not done her work they thought it is a beautiful universe that it would ever aesthetically. So why do we have to call einstein a genius . The this is a chain of contributions but yet only einstein design the door room wall but held valuable is that term that there are a lot of different kinds of people making contributions . Thats the good point. Einstein was a modest mason. He knew his mind was good but the reason he was picked out it was in even his 80 is about astronomy that came 1915 but it turns out one of the idea is is we think it space as totally flat like a trampoline like the
United States<\/a> marine corps you have to make a very flat and that is what our space was like if you take the ball bearing just all along the surface that make sense. But he had a different vision but if you take a rock if you put in the middle of the trampoline it will side down but then you shoot them along bennett goes around a curve to a goal. Ian he added acadia that there was something heavy. It was heavy in was the son and it would sag down and it would be as current as the surface of the europe so with a parallel strange things happen so he thought there was a star fireweed far away the light would never get through but just to think of a rocksolid nate trampoline. Normally you cannot see that but if there is a
Solar Eclipse<\/a> . You could whip that around in you could see that. He had a very clear prediction because it was the middle of world war i. The
British Expedition<\/a> sent teams to brazil to measure the
Solar Eclipse<\/a> exactly the way einstein said but it is true. Is an astonishing result. It was the realization that catapulted him into what we know. The times correspondent was with the announcement so they sent their man in london so he covered it like he did a sports event but more or less conveyed the right idea of the string of the times headlines that was electrifying in. And became right after the cataclysm of the
First World War<\/a> and what happened is the enemies kill each other. Their sons or brothers or husbands and the countrys hated each other sub the british navy put that terrible blockade. They said look what they did but after all the hatred they used that not just on the ground but to look up the heavens if you look up that the clear sky to think that is the realm we dont kill each other. We should have something in common. But yet his the wartime that did not happen people thought einstein is mine we could see that steepest truth. Between the priest and a profit to open in the spigot they would guide that like a funnel or a channel. Endless seen as a profit they look around. They have experience in the combat and they share a you know, those beautiful photographs of
Martin Luther<\/a> king he actually looked into the promised land. En mattis what happened with einstein his ideas were superb but he played a special role. So with fat profit does that belong to the past . At era of a
Single Person<\/a> could read conceptualize what could happen today . My picture the marking with the giant apparatus because that is the way the work tasks to be done today is that another einstein . Never know. The guy who ran the apollo project successfully had technology that is now in conceivable of random access memory. But they included genius is to progress everything that you need he newline about making large things work it is what you dont expect maybe millions of those parts exploding but it is always around the corners of the same thing happens we see that god forbid in this election the nobody imagined possible so although it is unlikely somebody could stand out like einstein when he was a student in switzerland now there is hundreds or thousands it is harder to stand out but you never know. That is what makes it exciting. A10 yearold in china or malaysia or south africa going to the library and take a book of the shelf. You told me before we started what did you learn from that quick. One was the indian astrophysicist the first person to come up with the notion of a black coal but it came out how funny einstein was. The faa sense of humor. But it helped when he was a little boy he was upset and threw the ball and hit her in the head it it shows that it takes the fix laugh laugh and that is when he did in physics of a as the notion you could flick the plan it would allow the
Straight Line<\/a> but he could imagine the curves. Who very clever. Imagine a curved earth toward deeper curves we cannot see in space. His sister wrote to little later that his teacher said youll never amount to anything in his sister said ed he never did teach greek laugh laugh i love that is somebody criticizes you to say i must not be worthy then switch around. Talk about the personal life as a brilliant woman. We think of wine sign as many with long hair but he marked he was a sailor he was in a class of six or seven students do is that that time could not go into experimental physics with the jews renato hated bet mildly discriminated against. So many of the people laura theoretical physicist. Some were lifetime friends that there was a woman who crossed europe wanderer own to learn good enough german and he courted her and would speak to her about advance calculus to say we could do science together to have a bohemian love and students forever and i will give you a special gift she wondered blood it could be. Maybe a recipe instead he drew something and gave it to her it was the align of this was a she couldnt get a stock for him for his speech. The night after he finished writing his equation there is a postcard that said we both third dead drunk under the table. But unfortunately when they had children at all want to say sexism if it could suggest they are mean and not fair but things were different in switzerland it was assumed they would intakes care of the child. And the. Key was very doting but still it is the way he gets credit. So he was good but she had to do all the stuff she was an okay student she was not great but did do theoretical physics machine had to change the diaper and had a little girl first that they give up for adoption but then people would come to the house a bid to me to talk to both of them but after a while she was so busy she would go take care of the kids and then the conversation would move on. Their oldest friend that there would still be connected and full of life. But that hurt her feelings in the relationship slid apart they became nasty she would write a letter to save remember me . And it just fell apart and they tried to save it but then he buried out woman on the rebound she was the office opposite. And at that time in germany that was considered acceptable. But the problem wasnt even that they shared a culture but one said she does no brain box and that was kind of mean because she was not doing anything wrong and later realized they became friends but then he started to have affairs in the 20s and especially and he was very decent about the had the separate cottage in the housekeeper was interviewed to say he was so charming with those lovely women but he founded more fulfilling but it was not been have. Cell they had eight camaraderie and einstein wrote a letter in said he noted like about your father i take it admired his intelligence he spent his whole life with one woman something i tried in failed at twice. This he found that four or five good years but. After
North Carolina<\/a> or
South Carolina<\/a> . He spent a while and
North Carolina<\/a> then became a professor of hydraulic engineering the long after he had died somebodies said the sabah the yield to have feinstein as a father . He said what do you mean . When father was einstein who could compete . This is wonderful are there other things to discuss clerics. And early in this context so prepare yourselves very well for that. To display my vast ignorance did say he came up with that theory of entanglement . In 1935 and then he realized if that is to what is widely separated could still, the synchronization of separated particles could beat interrelated that was not preposterous. Even when he tries to disprove something. So while they are preparing for the genius question if you mention the greatest mistakes while was the of bothers greatest mistake . Basically the play is about a daughter of say mathematician and the play begins a a couple of days after her father has died and aware that he suffered from
Mental Illness<\/a> and now also worried that she could be inheriting his mental ailments. And and a way it is about scientistic mathematicians that miraculously work it is done in the youth of the person and as time goes on it is harder and her to innovate and the new discoveries belong to the next generation. After many years of struggle and frustration and illness believes he is under his miraculous talent but the euphoria of that moment and that pain is not true you could say that is the biggest mistake of the of play. Do you feel what you experienced would translate into other realms of faction . Is that for people and their professional life with that desire . That fire from what i had before with the dissolution . I hear scientists talk about their greatest moment of discovery the same terms about falling in love. It is that euphoric experience to occupy the same emotional key with human endeavor. I saw a film a documentary and at the very beginning of the movie to say he spent years literally and at the end of the period after months he felt that he cracked that end he looked at the documentary film camera and started to talk about the moment he saw of the solution and burst into tears on film. You can see the power of that moment was still present. Certainly one of the impulses came out of that play. Can i do a followup . There is the story from many movie directors say whitey make the same movie over and over it is always about innocence under attack a shark or the alien fish over and over again. And spielberg says it is a very good movie. In science if you repeat the same thing but people will approach bennett could stay beautiful one sort twice but the fact to do that over and over so are you still strapped. We do definitely do we not always aware at the time. So the only thing they have been, and until recently was so with that parent child above uh complications that arise from that. But the real challenge of anyone to have certain material or a
Court Experience<\/a> so if you strike them of vibrations come. The challenge is to keep to push away for those that seem easy emotionally. Butted is a constant struggle. The xx may not realize it but when you say push away is that ignore that . Did meg you want to pretend the minute you become conscious of something than that is a cliche everyday that is something i have no real insight. He thought mostly to try to fulfill the unfilled dreams of our parents to see what they are unable to do to draw upon of farming and they were pour the first book i wrote was about the human body. I felt i was trying to fulfill the unfulfilled dream so was that something that was for previous generations . Two mb paid 475 i would go into that deeply. [laughter] but that is absolutely the case whatd is interesting but you dont know that when you do it you figure that out after the fact. Popular science writing is very different but it is tempting when you begin right team especially because it is excruciatingly embarrassing. Just to be humiliated. But that is well we would talk about that is a lot in manhattan. I was not doing that. Hugh conceded humorous style and if you are young with some skills to try to copy that. And godfather part to. The most sequels are mediocre. But the heart is not there did you find out when you talk about it with students do they know they need dow heart or did they laugh the
Technical Skills<\/a> . Is of a challenge to figure out how to probe into what really bothers you mattis or the good novels and upcoming from. What keeps you awake at night what troubles you is under your skin if you can find a way to transform them that is what you need and it is never that easy. But as the playwright somehow that is hard but you manage then you would transmit then the audience can get that feeling that you had. Einstein had certain feelings but the actual stuff that he did most people cannot share that. And there is attitude to bring across. Sometimes they had of the emotions. I thought you did could invade those wonderful things about the book. But you do a beautiful job to give us the gut feeling of the sense that einstein may have had. For that desperate a disparate phenomena on. Was married to a physicist with 40 years but do you think genius can exist without the intuition . Einstein talked about that. Is there if you were at the speed of light wood that light be seen . And these magical imagery ease would come even with technical stuff it is like a movie that comes in my head. And nt think that genius is without tuition . How do you put that together with wisdom praxis that the application . Ado believe when you are fully focused you are sitting in your genius so hot you marry the intuition with the genius . We mike geniuses the process and the wisdom is the end result. Is that how things work for you . I dont know. Cannot comfortable with the term genius. Clearly there are people like feinstein who changed the whole category of other people of the incredible play but nobody could write the same kind of plays. That seems to be a good analog but the view of those people of the category shifter and of talking about a genius does anything. Of something is introduced the first time . New things can be brought to our attention sometimes were lucky to have the new technology but then the low countries they have the magnificent ability that ordinary person could see things nobody else had in the history of technology we have a lot certain electron microscopes. Tools can do a lot. Another fresh insight coming from the fresh angle he did not have actors he was really good. But then they have to match the real worlds that is what his approach worked very well but the final one did not match the world. You mentioned they gave up there first child for adoption . Einsteins family was living in italy day left germany in 16. Not extreme antisemitism but moderate and his father found time after time in munich is contracts were rejected even with private industry so einstein dropped out of highschool einstein was in switzerland and he decided to go on holiday with here with her and she knitted him those cozy sox but footnote he was rejected from the swiss army because he had unusually sweaty feet he he needed those socks. She said very closely she said they held her but back then you could not raise child if you are not married to a caribbean board one month early but not terribly early. But she would reject to marry anybody if a jewish man gets married he divorces his mother but often that is contested. [laughter] so she went back to a per family in budapest they could not raise the child the child was named elizabeth they tried to do the best that they could and they gave her to one of her best friends if you think about it is a fair compromise nobody knows what happened after that she went back to switzerland and got married than they had to weather children a letter survives he said tell me about her dishy have beautiful lives . But then they stop referring to her because it is too painful. When you get another sadness it will come back to you so i think as the relationship fell apart she wondered the child would be six shares sold, 10 years old, to associate him with this. Deal think if he was alive today will have a change of heart about
Quantum Mechanics<\/a> or would he holdout there would be a holistic notion that was precise . Gimmick it is very hard to tell it could be his whole personality was different and actually was done by the slums it a measure people iq and give them exercises. And they become stronger very substantially with that notion move to two america that the notions became fixed forever then you have this capacity it could never change. There is something to that. Is seems intrinsic but he was born in any other family and imagine if he didnt have the training. Then to fail the first exams but as a graduate student the career would not have worked. But he had to go out to the public every six months. He just could not leave the city and think. If you take a stick away at bill but einsteins career was and was taken away from the academic world sixers seven years. But then he was brought back to the university. If that path would not have happened then maybe he would not have been einstein. You recognize he is not the best mathematician but he had a visual imagination and could see things. And talking in the context of my duty to connect those two together because in the wisdom tradition of buddhism , you are really interested with the tools but if you want to transfigure yourself. Transport that evident discomfort so the painting is like 82 rue. And that is just the connection i like to make the tests of course you would have bought your book already. [applause] thinks you so much. [inaudible conversations] and. And diane had a sneaking suspicion that thanks for your contributions. [applause] [inaudible conversations] and","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia902902.us.archive.org\/27\/items\/CSPAN2_20170117_050000_David_Bodanis_Discusses_Einsteins_Greatest_Mistake\/CSPAN2_20170117_050000_David_Bodanis_Discusses_Einsteins_Greatest_Mistake.thumbs\/CSPAN2_20170117_050000_David_Bodanis_Discusses_Einsteins_Greatest_Mistake_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240627T12:35:10+00:00"}