WHAT IGNITED THE YOUNG MIND?

In Albert Einstein life, we find that his interest in science started early, beginning with his encounter with magnetism, which he called “the first miracle”. He was given a compass by his father and Einstein was endlessly fascinated by the fact that invisible forces could make object move. This experience made a lasting impression on him. His interest in compasses was reinforced when he found a caring mentor to hone his ideas. At the age of 12, he experienced second wonder in a little book given by his mentor Max Talmud with Euclidean plain Geometry which he called “Holy Geometry Book”. Einstein called this his “second miracle”. Here Einstein made contact with the realm of pure thought. Without expensive laboratories or equipment, he could explore universal truth, limited only by the power of human mind. Mathematics became an endless source of pleasure to Einstein especially if intriguing puzzle and mysteries were involved.

Einstein’s father was in an electro chemical business. Being in the midst of electro magnetic contraptions awakened an intuitive understanding of electricity and magnetism in Albert Einstein. It sharpens his ability to develop graphic, physical pictures that would describe the laws of nature with uncanny accuracy. This trait, the ability to see everything in terms of physical pictures resulted in the discovery of the famous E=mc2 by Einstein. Now let me talk about Srinivasa Ramanujan, a genius well ahead of time.