January 4, 1643

2005 was named The World Year of Physics to coincide with the one-hundredth anniversary of three of Albert Einstein’s groundbreaking discoveries. In 1905, Einstein proved the existence of atoms and molecules, validated the concepts of quantum mechanics, and developed the theory of special relativity: E=mc2. I chose the following sites because they are mix of serious homework help and physics fun.

A Century of Physics
This illustrated physics timeline tells five color-coded histories at once: cosmic, human, atomic scale, living world and technology. In addition to traversing the timeline event by event, you can skip around by decade, by using the index page, or with the drop-down search function. My favorite sections are the Arts & Culture sidebars you’ll find on each decade page. “The references to Art woven into the bottom border serve as reminders that science is but one of many different perspectives on the world.”

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More Surfing the Calendar

[tags]relativity,albert einstein,sir isaac newton,physics,newton’s apple[/tags]