There occurred in the early years of this century three conceptual revolutions that profoundly changed Man's understanding of the physical universe: the special theory of relativity (in 1905), the general theory of relativity (1915) and quantum mechanics (1925). Einstein personally was responsible for the first two of these revolutions, and influenced and helped to shape the third. But it is not about his work in these conceptual revolutions that I shall write here. Much has been written about that work already. Instead, I shall discuss, in general terms, Einstein's insights on the structure of theoretical physics and their relevance to the development of physics in the second half of this century. I shall divide the discussion into four sections which are, of course, very much related.
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June 1980
June 01 1980
Einstein's impact on theoretical physics
That symmetry dictates interactions, that geometry is at the heart of physics, and that formal beauty plays a role in describing the world are insights that have had a profound effect on current thought.
Physics Today 33 (6), 42–49 (1980);