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Former featured articleAlbert Einstein is a former featured article. Please see the links under Article milestones below for its original nomination page (for older articles, check the nomination archive) and why it was removed.
Good articleAlbert Einstein has been listed as one of the Natural sciences good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Main Page trophyThis article appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page as Today's featured article on February 12, 2005.
On this day... Article milestones
DateProcessResult
January 13, 2005Featured article candidatePromoted
November 16, 2006Featured article reviewDemoted
October 5, 2007Good article nomineeListed
June 14, 2009Featured article candidateNot promoted
July 18, 2009Peer reviewReviewed
May 8, 2023Good article reassessmentKept
On this day... Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on December 2, 2004, June 30, 2005, June 30, 2006, April 18, 2017, and March 14, 2024.
Current status: Former featured article, current good article

GA Reassessment

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The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.


Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · WatchWatch article reassessment page • GAN review not found
Result: Kept, with thanks to XOR'easter for their hard work. ~~ AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 18:11, 8 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It looks like there's some uncited text and other problems including

  • If one end of a wormhole was positively charged, the other end would be negatively charged. These properties led Einstein to believe that pairs of particles and antiparticles could be described in this way.
  • Later, after the death of his second wife Elsa, Einstein was briefly in a relationship with Margarita Konenkova. Konenkova was a Russian spy who was married to the Russian sculptor Sergei Konenkov (who created the bronze bust of Einstein at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton).[67][68][failed verification]*the Einstein-Cartan theory section
  • The equations of motion section
  • The Adiabatic principle and action-angle variables section
  • In "Über die Entwicklung unserer Anschauungen über das Wesen und die Konstitution der Strahlung" ("The Development of our Views on the Composition and Essence of Radiation"), on the quantization of light, and in an earlier 1909 paper, Einstein showed that Max Planck's energy quanta must have well-defined momenta and act in some respects as independent, point-like particles. This paper introduced the photon concept (although the name photon was introduced later by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1926) and inspired the notion of wave–particle duality in quantum mechanics. Einstein saw this wave–particle duality in radiation as concrete evidence for his conviction that physics needed a new, unified foundation.
  • The matter waves section
  • Although he was lauded for this work, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. Notably, Einstein's unification project did not accommodate the strong and weak nuclear forces, neither of which was well understood until many years after his death. Although mainstream physics long ignored Einstein's approaches to unification, Einstein's work has motivated modern quests for a theory of everything, in particular string theory, where geometrical fields emerge in a unified quantum-mechanical setting.
  • The other investigations section
  • Einstein suggested to Erwin Schrödinger that he might be able to reproduce the statistics of a Bose–Einstein gas by considering a box. Then to each possible quantum motion of a particle in a box associate an independent harmonic oscillator. Quantizing these oscillators, each level will have an integer occupation number, which will be the number of particles in it.
  • Many popular quotations are often misattributed to him.[example needed]

and possibly more. Though some of these could have been general referenced and I missed it. Onegreatjoke (talk) 18:01, 17 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Seems rather odd to open this without editing the article yourself or raising any issues on the article talkpage first. --JBL (talk) 18:45, 17 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

information This review was put on hold for two months to relieve pressure on topic editors at GAR. ~~ AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 22:57, 17 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

On a first reading, none of the uncited statements look atrocious. Various standard textbooks/histories/biographies should cover them, I think. XOR'easter (talk) 18:56, 20 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Working through these as I find the time. XOR'easter (talk) 21:04, 23 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]
All the {{citation needed}} tags are addressed now. XOR'easter (talk) 20:20, 5 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
XOR'easter, thanks for your efforts. A couple of things still need to be directly cited: the quotes in the sentence beginning "As he stated in the paper" in the physical cosmology section, the Einstein–Cartan theory and Wave–particle duality sections. Also, do you think MOS:OVERSECTION is a problem at all? ~~ AirshipJungleman29 (talk) 16:46, 8 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The citation for the "As he stated in the paper..." is immediately preceding that passage. I don't see the need to repeat footnotes there.
There are more divisions into short subsections than I would have included, but I'm not sure that's a problem per se. XOR'easter (talk) 17:41, 8 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

E=Mc^2

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Did you know this formula was first discovered some years earlier by British telegrapher Samuel Tolver Preston? It is in his book "Physics of The Ether" written in 1875. K00la1dx (talk) 15:21, 29 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@K00la1dx:[citation needed] VQuakr (talk) 17:08, 29 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
My citation is on the back of this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Tolver-Preston-Father-Atomic/dp/B0B92G12YH
Your not going to make me buy the book just to post. You can view the back of the book by clicking the picture on the amazon website.
"In 1875 four years before albert Einstein was born, Samuel Tolver Preston published an amazing book entitled "Physics of the Ether". In it he set down the famously formula E=mc^2 and thoroughly explained its implications"
If that does not satisfy you just look at the article already in wiki:
"In his book Physics of the Ether (1875) he claimed that if matter is subdivided into ether particles, they would travel at the speed of light and represent an enormous amount of energy. " K00la1dx (talk) 15:36, 30 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Self-published. We use reliable sources. VQuakr (talk) 18:25, 30 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Are you seriously trying to cite a book when you don't even know what it says? Remsense 18:32, 30 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]

"Not a nationalist" versus primary source quotes

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Back in early 2021 when we were having a tussle about Einstein's Jewishness, I added "Einstein was not a nationalist",[1] taking the assessment from the Princeton book Einstein Before Israel: Zionist Icon Or Iconoclast? by Ze'ev Rosenkranz. The assessment has been removed twice by Steven Homan who says the issue is "more nuanced than this".[2] Steven Homan added several Einstein quotes as a way to contradict the conclusion by Rosenkranz:

  • "I consider raising Jewish self-esteem essential, also in the interest of a natural coexistence with non-Jews. This was my major motive for joining the Zionist movement."
  • "Zionism has also a very good influence on the Jewish people… Jews who have a vivid feeling of Jewish national solidarity are much better equipped to overcome with dignity all the dangers and hardships which we have to face... I dislike nationalism very much — even Jewish nationalism. But our own national solidarity is forced upon us by a hostile world, and not the aggressive feelings which we connect with the word 'Nationalism.'"
  • "I am in favor of Palestine being developed as a Jewish Homeland, but not as a separate state."

Wikipedia topics are defined by WP:SECONDARY sources, not by primary sources. Einstein's own words cannot be used to remove the expert conclusion of Rosenkranz. Binksternet (talk) 22:21, 4 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 14 August 2024

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I would like to edit and say that Albert Einsteins wife’s body has been found. If I could please do that thank you. Dr.Wilson Wildrow (talk) 23:45, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ZZZ'S 23:51, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I don’t get how I would need to provide evidence for that if it was in the news. Dr.Wilson Wildrow (talk) 23:53, 14 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Here in wp:verifiability it is nicely explained how to get how to need to provide evidence, even when it was in the news. - DVdm (talk) 17:58, 29 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Albert Einsteins wife’s body has been found—what has that to do with this article?
I Googled it, and I could find no trace of such claim. tgeorgescu (talk) 07:39, 20 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

/ˈaɪnstaɪn/ EYEN-styne;[5] German: [ˈalbɛɐt ˈʔaɪnʃtaɪn]

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Siriusly, a wrong pronunciation? Before the correct pronunciation? Did Einstein adopt this? I don't have access to this reference. What does it say? Darsie42 (talk) 22:13, 4 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think you're reading the IPA wrong. Hover over the IPA. Yue🌙 23:49, 4 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I think they're complaining about the typical pronunciation by English speakers being "wrong". Unfortunately, this is an English-language encyclopedia. Remsense ‥  23:51, 4 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Or, for those of us comfortable with English, fortunately. EEng 16:36, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Birther bias

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The John McCain article doesn't say that he was Panama-born American. To obsess over German-born is an overt way of stating that Einstein wasn't American. Arbeiten8 (talk) 11:36, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Gee, I wonder if there are any differences between two people's biographies that might make it correct in one instance but not another! Give us a break, would you? Remsense ‥  11:47, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm. Einstein is an Ashkenazi Jew and can't be American? We otherize an Ashkenazi Jew? Arbeiten8 (talk) 11:51, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Before I file a report about it, I'll toss you a chance to rephrase the above statement into some non-disgusting characterization of what I said. Alternatively, you could call me an antisemite directly instead, which would likely expedite the process. Remsense ‥  12:04, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I edit without intimidation. I don't quiver. I stand for what is right unapologetically. Likewise, I welcome you to be bold. Arbeiten8 (talk) 13:29, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
What is right is that when you are in somebody else's pkayground, you abide by their rules. In the case of wiki, the rule is consensus. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 16:01, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
When a practice is fishy, I question it. I understand that the majority sometimes shouts down a dissenter. Just people a Founding Father came up with a 3/5 clause, that doesn't mean it is right. Similarly, a Founding Father zeroed in on birtherism, that doesn't mean it is right. Furthermore, by your own admission, you don't share much Einstein on the question of birth. Lastly, there is no consensus to start every article for those born outside the U.S. with X-born. Arbeiten8 (talk) 16:20, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
How does German-born conflict with his being nationalized American? Real people fall into multiple categories, and which category is most important depends on context. I am an Ashkenazi Jew, an American, a Michigander in exile, a college graduate, a systems programmer, a father and many other things. There seems to be a consensus that the birth place is relevant in the lead, and I see no bias in that. -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 16:01, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
There are those who argue that being foreign-born (even when naturalized) makes an American unqualified to hold a security clearance or hold positions of authority. Consequently, to start the article with a divisive language is uncalled for. Arbeiten8 (talk) 16:23, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
John McCain, born to a US Air Force officer father and an American mother on an American military base in Panama, is a natural-born citizen of the United States. Einstein, born in Germany to German parents, is not. It's ridiculous that this needs to be spelled out. – Muboshgu (talk) 16:55, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
the Natural-born-citizen clause is an American invention from hundreds of years ago which is ignored by many countries. A Palestinian with Gaza parents born in Saudi Arabia won't become Saudi Arabian. The birther skepticism of Americanness is typically raised against non-European Americans. It was raised against Obama despite his American mother. Off the top of my head, I give you 2 examples: Nikola Tesla and Elon Musk. Neither had American parents at the time of their births. Arbeiten8 (talk) 17:03, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, the world is full of bigoted xenophobes. It is also full of people who are not xenophobes. Do you have any evidence that the consensus on what to include in the lead is the result of bigotry? Your personal prejudices don't count as evidence, only real statements by real people during the discussion. People who despise the birthers disagree with you, so don't paint everybody with the same brush -- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz Username:Chatul (talk) 17:24, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Okay. Let us focus on the task at hand.
1. Elon Musk "is a businessman" is good. Elon Musk is an American businessman is also acceptable.
2. Nikola Tesla "was a Serbian-American" engineer.
3. Albert Einstein "was a German-American theoretical physicist" [This is my suggested improvement]
I submit my proposal for consideration on this platform. Arbeiten8 (talk) 17:36, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • Let's see ... I'm sure Einstein said something on point to this ... Ah, yes!
If my theory of relativity is proven correct, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew. [3]
From a quick search this quotation doesn't appear in any of the Einstein articles. Too bad. EEng 18:00, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]