MarieCurie,orratherMaryaSklodowska,wasborninWarsawonNovember7,1867.Atthetime,thePolishcapitalwasoccupiedbytheRussians,whowereseekingtoweakenthelocalélitebutnonethelesstoleratedtheburgeoningofthepositivistdoctrineadvocatedbyAugusteComte.Basedonthevalueofexperienceandscientificreality,andappliedtosociety,itwasformanyintellectualsthepathofprogress;itwastoleaveanindeliblemarkonMarya.Bornintoafamilyofteachersandbroughtupinanenvironmentmarkedbyasenseofdutyandalackofmoney,sheledthemostSpartanoflives.Fromtheprematuredeathofoneofhersisters,andlaterofhermother,shedrewtheagnosticismthatwouldlaterbolsterherfaithinscience.Asabrilliantandmaturestudentwithararegiftofconcentration,Maryaharbouredthedreamofascientificcareer,adehugefinancialsacrificessothathersisterBroniacouldfulfilherwishofstudyingmedicineinParis,nurturingthehopethatthefavourmightbereturned
愛因斯坦的
AlbertEinstein:1879-1955
WiththedeathofAlbertEinstein,veusaworldpicturewithaunityandharmonysurpassingtheboldestdreamsofthepast.
Einstein'sgenius,characterizedequallybylogicalclarityandcreativeimagination,succeededinremoldingandwideningtheimposingedificewhosefoundationshadbeenlaidbyNewton'intheframeoftherelativitytheory,demandingaformulationofthelawsofnatureindependentoftheobserverandemphasizingthesingularroleofthespeedoflight,gravitationaleffectslosttheirisolatedpositionandappearedasanintegralpartofageneralkinematicdescription,over,Einstein'srecognitionoftheequivalenceofmassandenergyshouldproveaninvaluableguideintheexplorationofatomicphenomena.
Indeed,thebreadthofEinstein'sviewsandtheopennessofhismindfoundmostremarkableexpressioninthefactthat,intheverysameyearswhenhegaveawidenedoutlooktoclassicalphysics,hethoroughlygraspedthefactthatPlanck'erebyprovidedthestartingpointfortheestablishmentofconsistentquantumtheoreticalmethodswhichhavemadeitpossibletoaccountforanimmenseamountofexperimentalevidenceconcerningthepropertiesofmatterandevendemandedreconsiderationofourmostelementaryconcepts.
ThesamespiritthatcharacterizedEinstein'ithstandingtheincreasingreverencewhichpeopleeverywherefeltforhisattainmentsandcharacter,salwayspreparedtohelppeopleindifficultiesofanykind,andtohim,whohimselfhadexperiencedtheevilsofracialprejudice,arnestadmonitionsontheresponsibilityinvolvedinourrapidlygrowingmasteryoftheforcesofnaturewillsurelyhelptomeetthechallengetocivilizationintheproperspirit.
TothewholeofmankindAlbertEinstein'sdeathisagreatloss,hememorieshehasleftbehindwillremainanever-livingsourceoffortitudeandencouragement.—NielsBohr
WithAlbertEinstein'sdeathagreatlighthasgoneoutintheworldofphysics,forEinstein,morethananyotherman,heoryoflightquantaandhislaterdemonstrationofthenatureofthefluctuationsof'blackbody'radiationraisedtheparadoxofthewave-particleduality,1917paper,introducingtheideasofspontaneousandstimulatedemissionofradiation,amousEinsteinAandBcoefficientsledtothequantitativeuseofthecorrespondenceprincipleandtotheformulationoftheKramers-Heisenbergdispersionformula,whichinturnledtoHeisenberg'teinwasthereforeinaveryrealsensethefounderofthestatisticaltheoryoffundamentalatomicphenomena.