Albert Einstein and Relativity for Kids: His Life and Ideas with 21 Activities and Thought Experiments
Acknowledgments THIS PROJECT began years ago with all those forever underpaid Douglas County teachers who fostered my love of science and math including Steven Williams Dick Wright Jodene Bartolo Doug Kissler Ann McNulty Kathleen Gilbert Marty Bowen Malcolm Hovde John MOOS and Debbie Wadsworth as well as everyone associated with the Frontiers of Science Institute at the University of Northern Colorado Bill Koch Mary Beth Endres Paul Wharry Mary Lou Whisenand Phil Gleckler and Paul Lightsey My thanks to the reviewers who helped me fine tune the manuscript Juan Gonzalez Lisa Reardon and Tom Vose To everyone at Chicago Review Press who worked to make this book a reality Michelle Schoob Monica Baziuk Gerilee Hundt Allison Felus Jon Hahn and Caitlin Eck thank you for all your hard work But in particular I am indebted to my longtime editor Cynthia Sherry for supporting my writing for more than a decade An author couldn't ask for a better champion And finally thank you Jim Frost and my parents Joseph and Barbara
a INTERN D I N O I Mr R H E IIINE I IT II HERM Restaura Kohmann
Note to Readers Thought Experiments Imagination is more important than knowledge Knowledge is limited Imagination encircles the world Einstein IMAGINE THAT you were to walk into a brick wall Would it hurt Of course Would you need to walk into a brick wall to convince yourself of this No you could figure it out without actually having to do it You know that brick walls are hard You know that if something hits you in the nose it hurts So if your nose were to hit a very hard brick wall it would hurt Congratulations you've just performed a thought experiment Albert Einstein was famous for using thought experiments to develop his theories and to explain his ideas to other people He would imagine trains traveling at nearly the speed of light this was long before rockets and elevators falling down bot tomless shafts or traveling through space What would people on those trains and in those elevators experience In this book you will be asked to perform several thought experiments to better understand Einstein's theories They will be marked with a
Read the description of each imaginary experi ment then try to answer the questions that follow before reading further Most of the thought experi ments in this book are Einstein's own so they will be your chance to match wits with a genius Albert Einstein at a patent office desk 1905 Corbis
