For what work did Einstein receive the Nobel Prize in Physics?

Explaining the photoelectric effect

Where did Einstein work after moving to the United States in 1933?

The California Institute of Technology

Albert Einstein Quiz: Relativity, E=mc² and the Nobel Prize

This Albert Einstein quiz follows the world's most famous physicist from his birth in Ulm, Germany, and his years as a patent clerk in Bern to his miracle year of 1905, E=mc², general relativity, the eclipse test led by Arthur Eddington, his Nobel Prize and his later life in Princeton, including his letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fifteen questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 15 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 15 Time: 150s

Early life
In which German city was Albert Einstein born in 1879?
Work
What job did Einstein have in 1905 when he published his most famous early papers?
1905
What is 1905 often called because of the four groundbreaking papers Einstein published that year?
E=mc²
In the equation E=mc², what does the letter c stand for?
Nobel Prize
For what work did Einstein receive the Nobel Prize in Physics?
Relativity
In which year did Einstein complete his general theory of relativity?
Eclipse
In 1919, which British astronomer led an eclipse expedition that supported Einstein's theory?
Princeton
Where did Einstein work after moving to the United States in 1933?
Letter
To which US president did Einstein sign a 1939 letter warning about atomic weapons?
Politics
In 1952, which country offered Einstein the role of president?
Atoms
Einstein's 1905 paper on Brownian motion helped prove the existence of what?
Elements
Which chemical element is named after Albert Einstein?
Family
Who was Einstein's first wife, a fellow physics student in Zurich?
Honors
Which magazine named Einstein its Person of the Century in 1999?
Photo
In a famous 1951 photograph, what is Einstein doing?

Explanations: answer key for all 15 questions

Q1: In which German city was Albert Einstein born in 1879?
Answer: Ulm
Einstein was born in Ulm on March 14, 1879, but his family moved to Munich the following year. He later lived in Switzerland, Germany and the United States.
Q2: What job did Einstein have in 1905 when he published his most famous early papers?
Answer: Patent clerk
He worked at the Swiss patent office in Bern, checking inventions. He did much of his physics thinking in his spare time.
Q3: What is 1905 often called because of the four groundbreaking papers Einstein published that year?
Answer: His miracle year
In Latin it is called his annus mirabilis. The papers covered the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, special relativity and the equation E=mc².
Q4: In the equation E=mc², what does the letter c stand for?
Answer: The speed of light
The equation says that mass and energy are linked, and the speed of light squared is a huge number. So even a tiny amount of mass holds enormous energy.
Q5: For what work did Einstein receive the Nobel Prize in Physics?
Answer: Explaining the photoelectric effect
He was awarded the 1921 prize for explaining how light can knock electrons out of metal. Relativity was still debated by some scientists at the time.
Q6: In which year did Einstein complete his general theory of relativity?
Answer: 1915
General relativity describes gravity as the bending of space and time by mass. It took Einstein about ten years of work after special relativity.
Q7: In 1919, which British astronomer led an eclipse expedition that supported Einstein's theory?
Answer: Arthur Eddington
During a solar eclipse, Eddington's teams measured starlight bending around the Sun. The results made Einstein world famous almost overnight.
Q8: Where did Einstein work after moving to the United States in 1933?
Answer: The Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton
He left Germany as the Nazis rose to power and settled in Princeton, New Jersey. He stayed there for the rest of his life.
Q9: To which US president did Einstein sign a 1939 letter warning about atomic weapons?
Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt
The letter was drafted with physicist Leó Szilárd. It helped lead to the Manhattan Project, though Einstein himself did not work on the bomb.
Q10: In 1952, which country offered Einstein the role of president?
Answer: Israel
He was offered the largely ceremonial presidency of Israel after Chaim Weizmann died. He politely declined, saying he lacked the right experience.
Q11: Einstein's 1905 paper on Brownian motion helped prove the existence of what?
Answer: Atoms and molecules
Brownian motion is the random jiggling of tiny particles in a liquid. Einstein showed it was caused by invisible molecules bumping into them.
Q12: Which chemical element is named after Albert Einstein?
Answer: Einsteinium
Einsteinium, element 99, was discovered in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb test in 1952. Its name was announced after his death.
Q13: Who was Einstein's first wife, a fellow physics student in Zurich?
Answer: Mileva Marić
Mileva Marić was from Serbia and studied with Einstein at the Zurich Polytechnic. They married in 1903 and later divorced.
Q14: Which magazine named Einstein its Person of the Century in 1999?
Answer: Time
Time chose Einstein over leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi. The magazine called him the genius of the age.
Q15: In a famous 1951 photograph, what is Einstein doing?
Answer: Sticking out his tongue
Photographer Arthur Sasse took the picture on Einstein's 72nd birthday. Einstein liked it so much that he ordered copies for friends.

Albert Einstein Quiz – The Mind Behind Relativity

Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of the modern age, and his name has become another word for genius. Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he grew up in Munich and later studied in Zurich, Switzerland. Contrary to a popular myth, he did not fail math. He was an excellent student in the subject, though he disliked strict, rote teaching.

In 1905, while working as a patent clerk in Bern, he published four papers that changed physics. They explained the photoelectric effect, proved that atoms exist through Brownian motion, introduced special relativity and gave the world the equation E=mc². Scientists call it his miracle year.

Ten years later, in 1915, he completed general relativity, which describes gravity as the bending of space and time. When Arthur Eddington's 1919 eclipse expedition measured starlight bending around the Sun, newspapers around the world celebrated Einstein. In 1921 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.

As the Nazis rose to power, Einstein left Germany and settled at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. In 1939 he signed a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt warning that Germany might build an atomic bomb. He later spoke out for peace, civil rights and nuclear disarmament.

Einstein's ideas are part of daily life today. GPS satellites must correct for relativity to give accurate positions. He died in Princeton in 1955.

Einstein was also known for his sense of humor, his messy hair and his love of sailing and music. He famously disliked socks and often walked to his office in Princeton, where students and neighbors would stop him to ask questions. Many of his letters and sayings are still widely quoted today.

This quiz covers his life, discoveries, awards and lasting fame, with explanations after every answer.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for science fans, students and history lovers.

His childhood in Ulm and Munich
The 1905 miracle year
E=mc² and relativity
The 1919 eclipse and his Nobel Prize
His life in Princeton
Honors, family and famous photos

Quick Facts About Albert Einstein

Born March 14, 1879, the same date later celebrated as Pi Day.
He played the violin throughout his life.
He became a United States citizen in 1940.
Gravitational waves he predicted were first detected in 2015.
He died on April 18, 1955, in Princeton.
His brain was preserved for study after his death.