In 1905, Albert Einstein had four papers published in scientific journals, each of which was of such significance that the year is sometimes referred to as the annus mirabilis – the “miracle year”. The subjects were:

Einstein’s Special Relativity and E = mc

2

Papers

And E = mc

2

Paper

Special Relativity Paper

The photoelectric effect - demonstrating that a beam of electromagnet radiation, such as light, is composed of small particles now called photons, each with a particular amount - or “quanta” - of energy. This is one of the foundations of quantum physics, and therefore quantum mechanics. Brownian motion - It had long been known that small particles, such as pollen grains, displayed erratic behaviour when floating in a fluid such as water. Einstein’s paper demonstrated that this was due to the movement of atoms in the fluid acting in a way similar to billiard balls, colliding with the pollen grains and causing them to move in erratic paths and with varying speeds. This was the first solid theoretical evidence for the existence of atoms. Special relativity - This paper redefined space and time into a single entity, called space-time. It was demonstrated that it’s impossible to move in space without moving in time. In particular, the faster a body moves the more its internal clock slows as observed by a stationary observer. This page gives a quick and easy overview of the subject. E = mc 2 - In this paper, Einstein demonstrated that anything with mass has energy locked up in it, which under certain conditions can be released - therefore mass and energy are different manifestations of the same thing. A quick overview is given on the page E = mc 2 - The Basics.
English translations of the papers for Special Relativity and E = mc 2 are available below. However, it’s recommended that the points below the downloadable PDF files are considered when viewing the papers:
Relativity PDF
The first paper in particular is complex and requires a reasonably high level of mathematical fluency, therefore the implications may not be clear or obvious. The papers had little impact on first publication in 1905. Einstein was still a patent clerk at an office in Switzerland and had very limited access to the resources and collaboration found in academic and research departments. The significance of the papers was only slowly realised even within the physics community. This changed dramatically when a 1919 experiment involving a total solar eclipse provided strong evidence for his later General Theory of Relativity, by correctly predicting the bending of light around massive objects, such as the Sun. This in turn provided evidence for the earlier paper outlining Special Relativity, of which Einstein’s General Relativity paper, first published in 1915, can be considered an extension. The second, much shorter, paper formulates E = mc 2 and can be considered an addition to the Special Relativity paper. One other point to note is that some of the mathematics used in the papers is now considered archaic, and this again makes the papers sometimes difficult to follow. Much has changed in mathematics since 1905 as new techniques have been employed and more efficient mathematical methods discovered.
E = mc^2 PDF
Special Relativity - On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
E = mc 2 - Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content?
Click or tap on the PDF documents to view or download.
This page is concerned with the last two papers.

The papers

Points to note:

Young Einstein
Einstein in around 1902, while still a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland
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And E = mc

2

Paper

Special Relativity Paper

Einstein’s Special Relativity and E = mc

2

Papers

In 1905, Albert Einstein had four papers published in scientific journals, each of which was of such significance that the year is sometimes referred to as the annus mirabilis – the “miracle year”. The subjects were:

The Special Relativity and E = mc

2

Papers

English translations of the papers for Special Relativity and E = mc 2 are available below. However, it is recommended that the points below the downloadable PDF files are considered when viewing the papers:
Relativity PDF E = mc^2 PDF
Special Relativity - On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies
E = mc 2 - Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy Content?
Click or tap on the PDF documents to view or download.

Points to note:

Young Einstein
Einstein in around 1902, while still a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland
The photoelectric effect - demonstrating that a beam of electromagnet radiation, such as light, is composed of small particles now called photons, each with a particular amount - or “quanta” - of energy. This is one of the foundations of quantum physics, and therefore quantum mechanics. Brownian motion - It had long been known that small particles, such as pollen grains, displayed erratic behaviour when floating in a fluid such as water. Einstein’s paper demonstrated that this was due to the movement of atoms in the fluid acting in a way similar to billiard balls, colliding with the pollen grains and causing them to move in erratic paths and with varying speeds. This was the first solid theoretical evidence for the existence of atoms. Special relativity - This paper redefined space and time into a single entity, called space-time. It was demonstrated that it’s impossible to move in space without moving in time. In particular, the faster a body moves the more its internal clock slows as observed by a stationary observer. This page gives a quick and easy overview of the subject. E = mc 2 - In this paper, Einstein demonstrated that anything with mass has energy locked up in it, which under certain conditions can be released - therefore mass and energy are different manifestations of the same thing. A quick overview is given on the page E = mc 2 - The Basics.
The first paper in particular is complex and requires a reasonably high level of mathematical fluency, therefore the implications may not be clear or obvious. The papers had little impact on first publication in 1905. Einstein was still a patent clerk at an office in Switzerland and had very limited access to the resources and collaboration found in academic and research departments. The significance of the papers was only slowly realised even within the physics community. This changed dramatically when a 1919 experiment involving a total solar eclipse provided strong evidence for his later General Theory of Relativity, by correctly predicting the bending of light around massive objects, such as the Sun. This in turn provided evidence for the earlier paper outlining Special Relativity, of which Einstein’s General Relativity paper, first published in 1915, can be considered an extension. The second, much shorter, paper formulates E = mc 2 and can be considered an addition to the Special Relativity paper. One other point to note is that some of the mathematics used in the papers is now considered archaic, and this again makes the papers sometimes difficult to follow. Much has changed in mathematics since 1905 as new techniques have been employed and more efficient mathematical methods discovered.
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