Einstein for Beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #4

by Michael McGuinness (Illustrator), Joseph Schwartz

Amusing, irreverent, sophisticated and highly accessible, Einstein for Beginners is the perfect introduction to Einstein's life and thought.

Reaching back as far as Babylon (for the origins of mathematics) and the Etruscans (who thought they could handle lightning), this book takes us through the revolutions in electrical communications and technology that made the theory of relativity possible. In the process, we meet scientific luminaries and personalities of imperial Germany, as well as Galileo, Faraday, and Newton; learn why moving clocks run slower than stationary ones, why nothing can go faster than the speed of light; and follow Albert's thought as he works his way toward E = mc2, the most famous equation of the twentieth century.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics, Biography, History, Graphic Novels, Reference

173 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awesome!! Okay discount the gimmicky title - the book was written in 1979, they didn't know any better.

As a result of reading this book I am now convinced:

1. So much of science can be conveyed clearly with words, pictures, and thought experiments, rather than the typical mired-down explanations that use clunky symbols and equations.

2. Illustrated books are better than animations at teaching. You go at your own pace, you peruse at your leisure - it's not like Ken Robinson TedEd videos where 1000 visual and auditory stimuli are blaring at you simultaneously, and moving forward incessantly. Your brain has time to mull, and you can actually hear yourself think. (Not to hate on those videos - they are beautiful to behold.)

3. Science (chemistry and physics in particular) is so damn hard to understand, but if you sit down with a good teacher (this book for example), it can be broken down. It's not some insurmountable wall you have to keep ramming your head against on your own.

And here's a tidbit that I loved:
"Don't get worried. Among physicists there's a saying: "You never really understand a new theory. You just get used to it." " (151).

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explains the theory of relativity quite well - if you have the patience to wade through random historical tangents, biographies of everyone and their oarents, and the author's push for revolutionary socialism. I am guessing the later is probably a product of being written in 1979; the former of poor editing. The art is atrocious - it mixes steam punk style with silly underdrawn sketches. The type face is mixed; anything harder to understand is in a tiny print. The effect is messy both visually and content wise.

The parts pertaining to the theory of relativity are pages 61-66, 88-120, and 136 to 165. Pages 121 to 135 are a history of mathematics, which, while interesting, has no place in the middle of explaining the theory. And this illustrates why I thought of giving up - but I am glad I stuck with it because the end was worth while.

[David Bonello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book the year it came out. On a train ride from Princeton to NY, I must have shared it with at least a dozen others who just fell in love with it. Since then I have bought well over 20 copies to gift friends.

The best line from the book is: Scientists have a saying: You never really understand a new theory. You just get used to it.

Brilliant book; absolutely brilliant.

[Sarah B · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I came across this little book today and decided to read it spur of the moment. I found some of the stuff in here over my head even though they try to explain it in a simple way. The truth is I guess I am just not really interested in this advanced math. I never really liked math back when I was in school but obviously Einstein excelled at it! The personal bits about him were interesting. It seemed certain puzzles (ideas) drove him nuts and he got hooked on them. These unanswered questions kept driving him and he just had to find the solution. Having autism, I certainly can relate to that! I get that way too sometimes.

But this book actually discusses lots of things. There's electricity, magnets, cannonballs, the speed of light... And everything is shown with little drawings too. It sort of looks like a kid's book but this is actually very complex stuff.

And I found out a few shocking things in here. Like there are magnets inside of a motor! I actually had to go google that to see if it was true! I guess I had thought that motors have moving parts so it was these parts moving that causes whatever the motor is for to do whatever it's supposed to do. But there are magnets inside them! Of course that begs the question where in the world do they get so many magnets from? No idea. The book does not say.

Another part that fascinated me was this bit: you can't tell you're moving unless you look outside. And a picture shows a submarine. Of course I have no idea if you can feel movement on a submarine. You certainly can on a boat! So I had to go google if people on a sub can get seasick and apparently in can happen under certain circumstances. Never thought about it before (unless I am watching a submarine movie like SeaQuest DSV).

A big part of this book was about Einstein trying to figure out if he could see his reflection in a mirror if he was traveling at the speed of light. Now about that I had my own thoughts right away: is your body going to withstand going at the speed of light?! I mean look what happens to stuff falling to earth from outer space at that incredible speed. It burns up! So in my opinion if he was traveling at the speed of light the last thing he would be worrying about is that mirror and how well he could see himself in it! I guess he never thought about that! Haha!

Then there was a bit about the complex math and the idea about the speed of light. Apparently the faster a thing goes the heavier it gets! So I will ask my own crazy question: if a thing is zooming along super fast how in the world are you going to weight it on a scale? And then the scale would have to be traveling at that speed too and it probably would be broken. I mean scales are not built to be used under those conditions. I hope he has a warranty on his scale.

I also have a few things to say about the train puzzle in here. It involves a person sitting on a grassy hill watching a train go by and in one of the train cars a person gets up to move to the front of the car. This is supposed to be one of those "story math problems" that you recall from school. You know, if the train is going at X speed and the person is walking at X speed... But here is MY thoughts on this (so it is not a spoiler at all - just my own unique way of thinking)... I say by the time the person on the train takes just a step or two that particular train car is already out of sight of the viewer on the hill! Because those trains travel crazy fast, especially Amtrak. And since it has passengers it must be Amtrak and not a cargo train... So the person sitting on the hill won't actually SEE when the passenger reaches the front of the train car. Also are there trees or other objects blocking the view? How about a train tunnel? Question does not specify.

Besides Einstein, the book also talks about many other scientific minded people from the 1800s like Galileo, Mach (I relate his name to speed), Faraday (his name sure is familiar too), Maxwell (only know the coffee sadly), Helmholtz (?? But makes me think of the word "volts"), Ampere (makes me think of amps which goes with electricity) and it even goes way back to Newton too...

Towards the back of the book are very complicated math puzzles that are explained and what they mean. That was totally Greek to me!

It does mention the bomb way at the end but the focus of this book is how Einstein came up with his formula (E=MC2) theory for relativity, for which he won the Nobel Prize for in 1916. But can you believe this genius hated school? What a surprise!

I actually found the book kind of dull with a few interesting bits that made me ask questions...

[Sato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einstein for Beginners was the first book I could finish in my life about ten years ago! Hawking's 'A Brief History of Time' made me pick that book again last night. I read it again and that was even more interesting for me. I can't describe the extreme delight it brought into my life in hindsight. This book brings a simple account of Relativity and Einstein's life. How Einstein brought a new level of thinking to solve a significant problem is described nicely. When he abandoned the idea of the absolute time, he brought a new level of thinking by going against past premises.

[Brett Howe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book but not for beginners. I think you have to already have a pretty good understanding of higher math and physics to really get it. It is a cartoon story first half of Einstein's life. Second half takes you hurtling at literally the speed of light through Einstein's theory of relativity and along the way a brief history of math and physics. Included in this book is a refresher (hopefully) on the Pythagorean Theorem; an overview of the Lorenz transformation necessary to understand the relationship between coordinates of events in two systems traveling at different relative velocities; a discussion of the theory of relativity and the concept of the relativity of simultaneity; the math behind it all; and of course the book culminates with E=mc^2. A paltry page or two discusses the atom bomb (apparently not Einstein's fault), Einstein's leftist tendencies and a list of books to read to go into more detail on everything. I give this book 3.5 stars for me, probably 2 for somebody who isn't into math. It's all relative really!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Närmast ett faktaspäckat seriealbum. Som gör ett gott arbete med att få mig att förstå hur Einstein resonerade. Dessutom något av en vetenskapshistoria, eftersom det görs nedslag genom tusentals år av utvecklande av teoretiserande, matematik och former.

Ser att den här boken skapades redan 1979, och tänk att Einstein lade fram sin teori redan 1905 ! Och fick nobelpriset i fysik 1921. Hundra år sedan ! Så hur står sig detta efter hundra år av kvantfysik?

[Sara Lind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and informative. I liked how the maths behind the formulas was also explained clearly despite this book being aimed at beginners. Also liked how the relevant background story and historic events were explained. Flew through this in two days.

[J.D. Steens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly, this book is not particularly clear. Cute cartoons and comments and references to "Albert" don't make for clarity. Light is central to Einstein but the authors don't tell us why we should care at all about 'light'. The authors reference Einstein's illustration of himself riding along a light wave at the speed of light, holding a mirror, observing that the light from his face wouldn't be able to catch up with the mirror. Here the reader might be puzzled about where the light on Einstein's face comes from and what it has to do with a mirror. The book is also filled with more than a few mathematical formulations (algebra and calculus) that were not helpful. Einstein for 'beginners' is probably a relative term.

From this book we know that space and time are not independent, fixed, 'absolute' as Newton thought, and we know that space and time are tied to the speed of light, which Einstein saw as 'absolute' (not variable, as space and time are). But from here it gets fuzzy. If light's speed is constant, then the distance (and time for light to travel) between two points will vary depending on where these two points are located. Shorten the distance, and time is shortened. Lengthen the distance, and time is lengthened. Time and space might be best thought of not as things that we move through or across, but as measurement concepts: Time is speed (velocity) times distance (space). Understanding this depends, again, on the role of light and why it is significant. Whether space and time are more than 'measurement' concepts is also not clear. Interestingly, while reading this, a thought flashed through the mind wondering that if one moves at the speed of light, does space end and time stop?

Relative to light, there's little discussion about Einstein's theory of gravity. Force (external push and pull) is referenced as an "interaction" as another term for 'force'. Gravity is commonly referred to as an attractive force between two bodies (unlike electromagnetic positive and negative interactions). What is interesting is how this understanding is consistent with inertia (the bigger the mass, plus distance, the harder it is to get a body to move). Inertia can be seen as a counter force, a resistance to being pulled by another body. In other words, it also seems to involve a positive (attraction) and negative (resistance) dynamic.

The book ends with an outline of Einstein's political perspective (socialist) which, given the centrality of Einstein's scientific views, seems puzzling to include in this book until one reads the acknowledgments and learns that this "Beginners" series is intended in part to critique science in capitalist society.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up off a sale table in a used book store and was surprised how excellent it was. This could be the best description of relativity I've ever read. Alas, my grasp is still quite tenuous but I was much encouraged by this quote: "Physicists say they don't so much understand new theories as get used to them."

The book concerns itself with lots of good history on the theory of electromagnetism hence varying amounts of information on Faraday, Maxwell, Hertz, Newton and Michelson. Most of the book is about Einstein's early years and the discovery of special relativity and his famous equation with very little to say on general relativity, in case that matters to you. Worth hunting down if relativity is making you feel stupid. You'll read it and feel, well, at least not as stupid.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whhyyyyy the paragraphs at the end about socialism? Those were entirely unnecessary and no, I do not care about your opinions, Mr. Schwartz.

I wasn't a huge fan of the book, but I can see young adults who are into science or are reluctant readers digging the format and easy-to-grasp conceptual explanations.

[Mary Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it's graphic; it's great. I am so impressed with how simply yet completely the complexity of this formula was laid out. I almost get it.

[Shahryar Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traces the development of Einstein's special theory of relativity in comic book form. Best part about it was the extensive historical background given at the beginning i.e. the rise of big industry, especially the electrical industry in the latter half of the 19th century, the heavy funding given to research institutes to keep Germany competitive in this industry, the mass publication of pop sci books explaining the latest electrical discoveries, Einstein's own father and uncle's heavy involvement in the business - all these factors contributed to Einstein becoming interested in Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism from a very early age which prepared his mind to think about how to reconcile it with the Galilean/Newtonian principle of relativity.
Some other imp influences were:
- The university student the Einstein family invited to dinner on Thursdays, who was the one who introduced little Einstein to the beauty of math.
- Einstein's uncle who talked to him about the latest inventions when Einstein was young.
- Einstein's father's business failing continuously which turned him off from business and made the academic life more attractive.
- Einstein's friend (whom Einstein called the "best sounding board in the world") who told him to look into Mach's work when Einstein presented him with his boy-on-a-light-beam thought experiment (we all know it was Mach's influence that prepared Einstein to reject the existence of the ether - since Mach rejected all metaphysical speak in physics and emphasized only directly observable phenomena - which later led to logical positivism).
- All these and many other small influences all added up to place Einstein at the right place at the right time to discover relativity :)

Goes to show how even the greatest genius requires thorough preparation to bring to fruition and cannot just emerge by brute force. No matter how healthy & powerful the seed, the ground needs to be fertile too and the conditions right to bring forth life.

[Ron Herbst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a textbook on Relativity, not in the slightest...but a wide-ranging and accessible unpacking of Albert Einstein's upbringing, his mentors, the centuries-spanning schools of thought that laid the groundwork for his own study of the universe's mysteries. It tells of who and what drove his fascination in electromagnetism and the ages-old dilemma of the propagation of light.

This book covers both scientific theory and the more mundane aspects of the lives of scientists that nevertheless played a role in their scientific legacy. For instance, you may learn here for the first time that Isaac Newton was Master of the Mint and a Whig Minister of Parliament. That was news to me.

Did I mention that is full of dated but fun cartoon illustrations? First published in 1979, the scribbly mashup artwork reminds me of Terry Gilliam and a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.

Much has developed in theoretical physics since this book was written, so the information in it may include theories and conjectures that have since been proven or disproven. I don't know. Leave comments if this is the case. Read at your own risk. Having picked it up on a whim at a library used book kiosk, I ended up enjoying "Einstein for Beginners" greatly, and through it I have come to understand the man and his body of thought much better.

[Arthur]

This graphical explanation of Einstein's work in theoretical physics makes a lot of his thinking accessible to readers who lack background in physics and science generally. It's a nice way to dip your toes into the rather challenging subjects of special relativity and general relativity. Of course there is no way to make Einstein elementary. Readers need to be prepared to really stretch their imaginations. Our ideas about time and space are illusory. The realities are magical. Buckle up. And don't expect this slim, graphical work to explain things fully. For that try Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe, a real eye opener for non-physicists.

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did a reread of this after being disappointed by another "[...] for Beginnners" book I just reread. But this was still the same amazingness I remembered from decades ago. Not only does Schwartz show how Einstein derived E = mc^2 from some basic assumptions, Newton's second law and the Pythagorean Theorem, but he does so in the midst of a mass of cultural context and scientific history. This is also a proper graphic novel with illustrator Michael McGuinness doing excellent work with pacing and lettering. (There are some nice bits where Schwartz, in the text, asks McGuinness for specific illustrations.) Just all around enjoyable.

[Anneli Waara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ja, visst ger boken ett sammanhang och en bild av den tekniska utvecklingen före och under Einsteins tid. Och av den kluriga Einstein själv. Den gör också ett seriöst försök att förklara teorin på ett enkelt sätt. Men mitt intresse är för svalt och ökade inte.

[Broda Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of excellent reading. Content easy to understand.

[Akif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the visuals of this book

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Ioannis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Βαθμολογώ νε 4 αστεράκια το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο διότι μου άρεσε πολύ ο τρόπος, όπου μέσα από πολλά σκίτσα και πολλές εξηγήσεις σου εξηγεί πολύ απλά και κατανοητά διάφορες βασικές έννοιες της φυσικής.

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a great way to learn. Having all of the "what's going on in the world" filled in it was so much easier to follow Einstein's work.

[Nhat Nguyen]

Interesting but so complicated to understand - I guess I'm not very into Physics or Math

[Denise Schlachtaub · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good place to start if you're looking for an easy-to-read, basic understanding of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, along with some math and physics history.

[James Hawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes a difficult subject easy to understand.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it more than i thought i would!

[L Joyner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, entertaining, and very Socialist. If you are interested in Einstein's theory of relativity and how it came to be, then you will probably enjoy this.

[Kayoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, lots of history and physics.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, but not exactly clear and requires more background understanding than a beginner or even someone whose read a little bit of physics has. It's packed with many cartoons that don't help the narrative or explanation at all. There are parts that flow very well and others that could use more detail.

[Ivan]

As someone who is in high school and knows plenty about science and scientist who would have know that Einstein had an odd time growing up just like some other famous people. Once i started reading it it kinda reminded me of Steve jobs because they have a similar history in a way.


The main character in “Einstein for Beginners” is Einstein himself the book talks about how he was when he was young to when he was an adult and what had he accomplished so far. He was not interested in the industrial life nor school when he was young. The environment around him caused to take interest in science and proceed the trend that was in germany at the time which made the world advance faster, the thing was electricity. At the end hEinstein was able to make an equation that no one had yet to discover and involved the speed of light with other factors that involved energy.


The minor characters in the book affect him as well for example his uncles were able to teach him new thing like advanced math. His mother taught him about culture, music, and art> Last but not least his dad tried to teach him about economy and industrial life but as i said he showed no interest and distance himself with those things.


Throughout his journey Einstein was able to meet some of the famous scientist in the world at the time. For example Galileo he helped Einstein further his knowledge so that he was able to accomplish bigger things. Einstein started to connect everything he learned about math and put it on his experiment to find new data. That's when he saw that there was a new method to be able to experiment and make formulas to get new data and make it more reliable.


If you are fascinated with science you should read the book. This book teaches you about one of the great scientist of all time and how he was able to change the world. This book mi9ght even encourage you to try something new or pursue your goal in life. This book might be different since it doesn't have a lot of reading and it's a comic book but it might catch your attention some people don't like long books like you see in the library.