Einstein, von Braun and Tesla

Who is your favorite? who in your opinion was the best?

They all are referred to as some of the greatest minds of the 20th century and I respect them all but my absolute favorite is Werner von Braun, besides a brilliant scientist, he was also the father of space travel and a tremendous visionary.

I loved Einstein mainly for his quotes, alot of them are funny.

I have to pick Einstein for his work but also for his personality. He was almost as much of a philosopher as a scientist.

I also think its just amazing how he could break down such a amazing concept into something as small as E=mc2. Its just beauty and simplicity

My vote is for Tesla. His inventions have affected our lives more than most people know. He was the first to say that AC electrical power was the best choice, then Westinghouse promoted it and won the war of the currents. Next time you turn on a light switch, you can thank him.

My vote would also go to Tesla, but thats just down to the fact that I know so little about the other two and the significance of their discoveries.

I would say Einstein for General Relativity. That theory revolutionized physics in an incredible way, the implications of which are still largely unknown.

Another reason is his lack of pride. Unlike Newton, who went psycho on you if you disagreed with him, even if your disagreement was legit, Einstein himself was probably the biggest critic of General Relativity when he died. He was looking for the truth, not self-glorification, which I respect greatly.

Which isn't to say the others didn't do a ton, I just think the contributions of the E-man amounted to more.

Tesla, no question. Einstein was certainly brilliant, but imho gets a lot more publicity than he probably deserves. James Maxwell, Hendrik Lorentz,Michaelson-Moreley (two guys), Poincaire, among many others not only laid the groundwork but generated the concepts for what became known as Einstein's work.

All three of these guys were geniuses, but if I had to pick one - Tesla. We still don't understand the details and ramifications of his work. As far as the public knows, anyway. Now there's a conspiracy for ya.

Without a doubt Tesla! Eistein really contributed almost nothing compared to Tesla and it just goes to show how little people know outside of what they see on Tv.

Stellar

Originally posted by junglejake


Another reason is his lack of pride. Unlike Newton, who went psycho on you if you disagreed with him, even if your disagreement was legit, Einstein himself was probably the biggest critic of General Relativity when he died. He was looking for the truth, not self-glorification, which I respect greatly.

Well, Newton isn't on the list so why say that? And that only true if you ignore his comments towards Bohr and parts of qt.

I say Von Braun because I don't know what Tesla did or what Einstien did.

I'll have to go with 'the mad scientist' Tesla.
Einsteins theories were greast but Tesla gave us tangible inventions that have improved our lives.

I think Braun for inventing the hair drier. Before this people had to go to work, dinner dates etc with wet hair or spend ages drying it. Think of the millions of hours that would have been wasted by humanity scrubbing their heads with towels if it wasn't for Braun and his hot (h)air blower. We probably would not have had time to invent all the everyday things we now take for granted such as Stealth Bombers, Atari game stations and blue tooth telephones that fit on the side of sunglasses.

Tesla hands down

Alternating current, radio, x-ray, neon light to name some of his inventions, and maybe if it wasn't for a greedy JP Morgan he might've been able to power the entire world without a single line.

Like Hal9000 said, next time you flip on your light switch, thank Tesla.

Next time you turn on your microwave, thank Tesla.

Next time you turn on your crt tv, thank Tesla.

Next time you put on the radio, thank Tesla.

Next time you pick up the remote, thank Tesla.

etc... etc... etc...

The whole 20th century would've been unimaginable if it weren't for Tesla.

So for me also... Tesla hands down.

Yeah, but next time you beam up to the space station, thank Einstein

First of all, I'm talking about what benefits all of us in the western world at least. Only a select few get to go to the space station vs more than a billion having or doing what I've described above.

That actually wasn't my point at all. So far as I know today, no one is teleported into space. My point was to say that the actual ramifications of General Relativity are just beginning to be understood, and it's all at the theoretical level currently. Applications of General Relativity are coming, such as IBM's quantum processor. However, the inventions based on Einstein's theory haven't been made yet. At least not the practical ones.

Tesla took current theory and applied it in manners no one had concieved of. Tesla was an inventor. Einstein was a theorist, a physicist. He did not create applications/inventions based on theory; he developed theory that other inventors can use to create from.

I mean, just think of the access to knowledge the world's going to have when we move from digital computers into quantum computing! Technology skyrocketed with the advent of the computer, and has been progressing more and more as computers are able to work out larger mathematical systems in less time. Considering quantum computing is going to make today's Crays as obsolete as we see a 14.4-baud modem today. None of that would be possible without general relativity.

Ahhh... Now I read you. But Tesla is still the basis on which the future technology will be built...

I would have say without question on the basis of my own personal life it has to be Tesla. AC current is just as important to me as water god knows what i would do without it. Of course there are many other things this man, superman has done that we as a species have reaped from his mind. Time will tell whether he gets the true acknowledgement he truely diserves. I know that whilst i was at school we where never taught about him although einstein and edison was discussed it wasnt till i played command & conquer (i think) that i ever heard the name tesla before. After that my interest in science kinda hit me like a truck how could someone who impacted our lives to this extent not be discussed with the same zeal as einstein.

Originally posted by perspicientia
Of course there are many other things this man, superman has done that we as a species have reaped from his mind.

Interesting that you mention Superman since one of the First times I heard of Tesla was in a Superman cartoon. Superman was fighting a scheming mad scientist, whose name just happen to be Tesla and he happen to have a deathray



[edit on 1-12-2005 by ShadowXIX]

Originally posted by ShadowXIX

Originally posted by perspicientia
Of course there are many other things this man, superman has done that we as a species have reaped from his mind.

Interesting that you mention Superman since one of the First times I heard of Tesla was in a Superman cartoon. Superman was fighting a scheming mad scientist, whose name just happen to be Tesla and he happen to have a deathray



[edit on 1-12-2005 by ShadowXIX]

LOL funny how things you dont consciously think about manifest themselves somehow just the other day i watched a documentary with that cartoon in it.

[edit on 1-12-2005 by perspicientia]

Supposedly Tesla did have a death ray, and thought it would be the weapon that would end all wars. So the story goes, it was what caused the Tanguska explosion in 1908, and he said it was too powerful and dismantled it. But I highly doubt that is what happened. The explosion was caused by a meteor.

I think the reason we are not taught about him in school is because he was not a natural born American. He emigrated from Croatia.

Here is more info on him
inventors.about.com...