User:Jeffq/Experiments/QotD: June/30

30

2004 : Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral laws are written on the tablets of eternity. ~ Lord Acton

2005 : It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing — a somewhat unfamilar conception for the average mind. Furthermore, the equation E = mc², in which energy is put equal to mass, multiplied by the square of the velocity of light, showed that very small amounts of mass may be converted into a very large amount of energy and vice versa. ~ Albert Einstein (anniversary of "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies (http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/specrel/www/)" Annalen der Physik. June 30, 1905, first work to show relativity)

"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity." Albert Einstein

In honor of "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies (http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/specrel/www/)" Annalen der Physik. June 30, 1905, first work to show relativity

3 MosheZadka 00:54, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC)
3 Zhaladshar 22:47, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)
3 AllanHainey 12:57, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)
1 121a0012 02:14, Jun 25, 2005 (UTC)
0 Kalki 28 June 2005 22:57 (UTC) The joke is fine, but I have never been able to establish this as an actual statement of Einstein's and have long been inclined to doubt that it is, despite it often being cited as one. If we are to commemorate the centennial of Einstein's publication, I would much prefer to use a far less dubious quotation of him, or perhaps the famous equation summing up the relations indicated by the theory: E = mc². The joke has been "quoted" by Steve Mirsky in the humorous "antigravity" section of Scientific American (September 2002). Vol. 287, Iss. 3; pg. 102 but this should hardly be taken as an authentication of the statement as actually Einstein's, as Mirsky cites the original source as being a fictional magazine: "Amazingly, the pretty girl/hot stove quote is actually the abstract from a short paper written by Einstein that appeared in the now defunct Journal of Exothermic Science and Technology (JEST, Vol. 1, No. 9; 1938)."

There is a thunderstorm rumbling where I am at, so to avoid a possible disconnect, I have just made a choice to use a more reliably genuine quote that includes "E = mc²", as it is the most famous statement of Einstein's theories. I am open to other options, but there are only about 5 hours remaining before the automated updates occur to the main page. After several sessions of extensive searching I cannot find any information that leads me to accept the above statement as a genuine quotation of Einstein, though it has often come to be cited as one. If anyone can provide reliable evidence that it is, it would be very welcome. ~ Kalki 29 June 2005 18:43 (UTC)

"Einstein explained his theory to me every day, and on my arrival I was fully convinced that he understood it." Chaim Weizmann, about a 1921 trans-Atlantic voyage

3 121a0012 02:41, Jun 25, 2005 (UTC)

"It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing — a somewhat unfamilar conception for the average mind." ~ Albert Einstein

3 Kalki 28 June 2005 22:57 (UTC)

E = mc²

3 Kalki 28 June 2005 22:57 (UTC) the famous equation summing up the relations indicated by relativity theory

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence. ~ Albert Einstein

2 Kalki 28 June 2005 22:57 (UTC) This quote remains unsourced, but strikes me as far less dubious than the "That's relativity" statement. I would rank it higher if it could be sourced.