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Einstein was an exceptionally strong mathematician. He mastered integral and differential calculus by age 15, and gained ample knowledge in more advanced topics
by johnloeber 11y ago
Einstein was an exceptionally strong mathematician. He mastered integral and differential calculus by age 15, and gained ample knowledge in more advanced topics (topology, geometry, etc.) in the following years. Note that this was much more impressive back then than it is today. That being said, he did also command impressive intuition and observational skills.
By the way, the exact same can be said for Feynman, with the exception that Feynman was a stronger mathematician yet.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- logicallee 11y agowhy do you say this was more impressive back then than it is today? I thought all the areas you mentioned were well-understood. if anything I'd think this kind of math is more daunting today because it just takes 1 click to get to a wall of text on wikipedia in impenetrable notation. I'd think back then any kid who picked up a text could just read it without potentially diving into 100 years of abstract math.
- johnloeber 11y agoA normal school curriculum back then did not go so far as to teach calculus. When Einstein taught himself vector calculus, he used the textbook written by the guy who invented it because it was the only textbook. Then he personally wrote to the guy to clear up his misconceptions. Today, you can learn this material in open university courses, and if you have a question, consult a plethora of freely available resources on the internet. Accessibility of information matters.