Tags

, , , ,

Earlier this month three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for detecting gravitational waves which are the “ripples that were predicted by Albert Einstein and are a fundamental consequence of his General Theory of Relativity.¹”

I recently visited the Einstein Museum. One of the first things you see are three short videos explaining his general theory of relativity with bouncing balls.  It starts simple but between video two and three there’s a huge jump that I just don’t understand- time slows down for the diagonal bouncing ball.

If you’re interested, within three minutes of this video you will see what I mean:

But the general theory of relativity isn’t the point of this blog. The Einstein Museum is fabulous, whether you understand the theory or not.

You will be awed by the mirror stairwell, smile at this crazy-haired man’s romances and fascinated by his brilliance at such a young age. You will discover his heartaches around a lost baby and the part he played in the nuclear bomb. You will learn about the influence of WW1 on his personal beliefs, his Swiss and American naturalization and the confusion around his Nobel prize.

Plan on spending about two hours in the museum. The Einstein Museum is located in Bern’s History Museum so if you still have energy there are other interesting expositions, as well.

We are a group of international women living in Geneva, Switzerland. If you would like to join the AIWC, please visit our website at http://www.aiwcgeneva.org/

¹Einstein’s Waves win Nobel Prize in Physics