
When Einstein Was Bohemian - apollinaire
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-einstein-was-bohemian/
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dilippkumar
I've been listening to the audiobook version of Walter Issacson's biography of
Einstien.[0]

If you're looking for a book, I can recommend this one.

Bonus: Read "The making of an atomic bomb" by Richard Rhodes [1] before
reading the Einstien biography. This book sets up the context and several key
characters really well (and Einstien lurks in the background).

Also - Randall Munroe's explanation for the general theory of relativity[2] is
a must read.

[0] [https://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-
Isaacso...](https://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-
Isaacson/dp/0743264746)

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes-
ebo...](https://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-Bomb-Richard-Rhodes-
ebook/dp/B008TRU7SQ)

[2] [https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-
spac...](https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-space-
doctors-big-idea-einstein-general-relativity)

~~~
darkerside
This was great. Something that bugs me about relativity is, how is speed
measured relatively? I can imagine how it looks if both objects are on a
straight line, one moving away from the other. What about objects in a plane,
where one moves but never intersects the other?

Sorry if this question sounds nonsensical. I'm having trouble explaining a
very graphical question.

~~~
mhh__
It's not nonsense, but remember that speed is absolute so we just find the
change in distance between A and B for a very small amount of time.

If you want a test without an abstract definition of length, then the Doppler
effect is a way.

~~~
Koshkin
> _speed is absolute_

That's some thing to say...

~~~
mhh__
What I meant was that speed is the magnitude of velocity, rather than a
vector.

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GrantZvolsky
'bohemian'[1] and 'Bohemian' are two very different cultures.

[1]:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people#Exonyms](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people#Exonyms)

~~~
yread
From the article:

> I do not mean the disheveled unconventionality often ascribed to him—I mean
> “Bohemian” with a capital B.

~~~
GrantZvolsky
The article doesn't really explain the difference merely saying Bohemia is a
historical kingdom.

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jokes9000
i read this title as Bohmian!! (as in David Bohm)

~~~
jgrowl
So did I. If I remember correctly, Einstein was interested in De Broglie's
ideas that Bohm later expanded on. It would be an easy association to make.

~~~
Koshkin
An easy one and something that would perhaps make a more interesting read
(than Einstein being a "Czech" for a few months).

