Albert Einstein: How To Think Deep Thoughts
Albert Einstein had deep thoughts.
What was your secret?
He said it was because he was able to continually think about a single problem for a long time.
You probably have a deep thought or two in the catacombs of your mind. You had the thought and you may have buried it. Einstein would have kept that thought at the top of his mental “thought pile” and concentrated on that thought until he had developed it to the point where he could present it along with all its ramifications to the world in a coherent way.
Even Einstein’s worst thought, at least what he thought was a “mistake,” was the constant cosmological deception factor that he used in his equations of relativity. Einstein had assumed a static universe. When Edwin Hubble saw that the universe was actually expanding, Einstein said that the cosmological constant was his “biggest mistake.”
According to http://super.colorado.edu/~michaele/Lambda/blund.html, Einstein’s error was not a mathematical error but a philosophical error. Today, scientists are still considering and estimating the value of the constant due to the early expansion of the universe that gave it its shape. Quantum mechanical considerations are also important. For Einstein, the cosmological constant provided a way to balance the gravitational contraction caused by matter. I often read articles about the constant.
If you have to make a “mistake,” turn it into a good one like Einstein’s.
When I was a graduate student, I was always amazed by Einstein’s contributions. He contributed in many ways to physics, chemistry, and mathematics. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his study of the photoelectric effect that is part of quantum mechanics. He helped develop important Bose-Einstein statistics in solid state physics. It contributed to Brownian motion and viscosity important in surface chemistry. He also contributed to the theory of reaction rate important to chemistry. Of course, his theory of relativity is of tremendous importance to astronomers and cosmologists.
From what Einstein said, he thought about these problems one at a time.
Einstein thought that the main contributions to science come best from outside the academic centers. He advised talented people to work a regular job and do their science on the sidelines without being distracted from anyone else who might mislead them or confuse their thinking. He was working in a patent office as a clerk when he presented his paper on the photoelectric effect.
How to focus on one problem at a time
Personally, it has always been very difficult for me to focus on a single problem for a long time. You may have noticed the multitude of topics on my list at http://www.ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_T_Jones,_Ph.D. that I am a scattered brain. My novels and other books and articles that I have written over the years have themes that are “all over the place.” See http://www.tjbooks.com.
Now that I am in my seventies, it is very difficult for me to focus on even simple problems. Last night I was solving some problems for a new book that I picked up yesterday. I had just learned from the dentist that my bill was almost two thousand, so I decided to wait a bit to buy a new laptop and instead went to Barnes and Noble. The book is The World’s Largest Puzzle Book by Charles Barry Townsend. Buy at http://tinyurl.com/m5rqc.
Anyway, I was solving a problem using simple algebraic equations from physics and kept confusing them. I solved the problem after messing around for an inordinate amount of time. Funny how the brain works; Last night I solved the same paperless problem in my mind while I was sleeping.
Keys to concentration
Go to this site for the keys to concentration: http://www.successwithdesley.com/articles/paying_attention.pdf. The article is brief as a PDF file. Go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html for a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader. You will need to read the file.
I don’t want to plagiarize the article. I’ll just name the titles and add my own comments. Are here:
1. Be determined: We should postpone other activities for later.
2. Interest in action: We must actively participate. I am in a timeless world when writing or painting landscapes. The right side of my brain has taken over. It is the side that solves complex multidimensional problems.
3. Mental obedience: you must eliminate the outside world.
Staying Power: We must persevere despite external distractions (my wife hates this).
TIME MANAGEMENT: In this case, TIME is an acronym. T = Thoughts, I = Interest, M = Moments, E = Emotions. The author’s point is that these are the elements we think of when we think of the past, not days, weeks, and years.
Read the full article. It is short and sweet.
There is another article on concentration at http://www.articles-hub.com/Article/41099.html. It can help you overcome distractions.
There is a tape that you can buy to help you with your concentration. Read about this or request it at http://tinyurl.com/qzg5r.
Attention deficit disorder: ADD
Some people have ADD. Many children (including one of my grandchildren) are receiving treatment for this disability.
I decided to read about ADD at http://www.psychologytoday.com. Now I am sure I have ADD. I have some of the symptoms. I just caught it.
Here’s a good article from a psychologist who has DDT and how it affects him and his patience: http://tinyurl.com/gbu6t. If you think you have a problem, help is available online. Just put “ADD” in your search box.
The end
Concentration, ADD, Einstein, how, to concentrate, to focus, attention, disorder, to learn. Contributions, gravity, science, physics, Nobel Prize