He had even better than mathematical prowess: an intuition and creativity. Einstein's thought experiments were what led him to the discovery. What's the differe

He had even better than mathematical prowess: an intuition and creativity. Einstein's thought experiments were what led him to the discovery. What's the difference between someone with superior raw mathematical talent and strong mathematical talent plus creative intuition? I would argue, in particular with regards to physics, it makes all the difference. "...a paradox upon which I had already hit at the age of sixteen: If I pursue a beam of light with the velocity c (velocity of light in a vacuum), I should observe such a beam of light as an electromagnetic field at rest though spatially oscillating. There seems to be no such thing, however, neither on the basis of experience nor according to Maxwell's equations. From the very beginning it appeared to me intuitively clear that, judged from the standpoint of such an observer, everything would have to happen according to the same laws as for an observer who, relative to the earth, was at rest. For how should the first observer know or be able to determine, that he is in a state of fast uniform motion? One sees in this paradox the germ of the special relativity theory is already contained.[p 1]: 52–53 "