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Albert Einstein (14 Mar 1879 - 18 Apr 1955) German-American physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. He was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Short biography of Albert Einstein >>

Albert Einstein
“Why is the electron negative?”

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“I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other.”

— Albert Einstein

Quoted in George Wald, 'The Origin of Optical Activity' (1957).

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This quote is recalled from a first-hand conversation with Albert Einstein by George Wald in his 1957 paper, 'The Origin of Optical Activity', in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Like a left-hand glove and a right-hand glove are mirror images of each other, there are many molecules in naturally occurring substances with two forms that are mirror-images of each other. The variations have the same chemical formula, with same type of atoms bonded with the same neighbours, but having some geometrical arrangement differences in the direction of branching. Their presence in solutions is detected by different effects on plane-polarized light, hence the term “optical activity.” The variants are designated with a L- or D- prefix (from the Latin words for left and right).

Just as a left glove is not shaped to properly fit a person’s right hand, it is notable that in Nature, many biochemical processes favour only the one variant which matches the geometry of the other molecule in the reaction. The opposite form cannot react there. Remarkably, the amino acids which are most used by living organisms are composed of L- rather than D-amino forms. Also, D-ribosides are favored rather than L-ribosides.

In his paper, 'The Origin of Optical Activity', while discussing these preferences in Nature, Wald wrote that he “once had the pleasure of discussing this matter with Albert Einstein. He asked my opinion, and then said:

Thus these words were not recorded directly by Einstein himself in written form, and Wald may not have recollected the quote verbatim as Einstein spoke it, but the sense would be faithful to Einstein’s original words.

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“Galileo Facing the Roman Inquisition,” by Christiano Banti. (source)

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Nature bears long with those who wrong her. She is patient under abuse. But when abuse has gone too far, when the time of reckoning finally comes, she is equally slow to be appeased and to turn away her wrath. (1882) -- Nathaniel Egleston, who was writing then about deforestation, but speaks equally well about the danger of climate change today.

Carl Sagan: In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) ...(more by Sagan)

Albert Einstein: I used to wonder how it comes about that the electron is negative. Negative-positive—these are perfectly symmetric in physics. There is no reason whatever to prefer one to the other. Then why is the electron negative? I thought about this for a long time and at last all I could think was “It won the fight!” ...(more by Einstein)

Richard Feynman: It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly. ...(more by Feynman)

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