1. Where and when was Einstein born? What do we know of his early family life?

2. What gift from his father stimulated his interest in science? Why?

3. What was Einstein’s attitude toward school, especially toward attending classes? Did his absenteeism cause problems?

4. What was the main question about light that seemed to fascinate Einstein?

5. What were the most important theories developed by Einstein? Do you understand them? What was the most famous equation that came from Einstein? What does it mean?

6. Einstein pursued his theories through a specific kind of experiment. What were these experiments called and what did they consist of? Is there anything about these types of experiments that seemed to suggest that Einstein was "different" from other people?

7. How is Einstein related to technology?

8. What was Einstein’s relation to the development of the Atomic Bomb during World War Two?

9. Einstein expressed deep religious convictions but not of a traditional nature. He is quoted as saying, "I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings," and "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind…" What do these statements indicate about his world view? Do they help to explain his passion for discovering and describing natural laws? Do other scientists have similar world views? Why? What about social scientists?

10. Some scholars have estimated that ten years ago only about one out of every one hundred-thousand people alive has any insight into or understanding about what Einstein’s Theories of Relativity are really about. Has this changed today? Does this diminish the importance of his work?