the soon-to-be 26-year-old Albert Einstein faced life as a failed academic.

亞伯特‧愛因斯坦將26歲，人生慘被二一

Most physicists of the time would have scoffed at the idea

當時大部分的物理學家都不會相信

that this minor civil servant could have much to contribute to science.

這小公務員能對科學做出什麼大貢獻

Yet within the following year,

然而在接下來的1905這年

Einstein would publish not one,

愛因斯坦發表了不只一篇

not two,

不只兩篇

not three,

不只三篇

but four extraordinary papers, each on a different topic,

而是「四篇」傑出且主題不同的論文

that were destined to radically transform our understanding of the universe.

它們徹底改變了我們對於宇宙的認知

The myth that Einstein had failed math is just that.

曾有流言指出愛因斯坦數學不及格

He had mastered calculus on his own by the age of 15

然而，他15歲時已自學精熟算數

and done well at both his Munich secondary school

他在慕尼黑中學的學習表現優異

and at the Swiss Polytechnic,

而在瑞士理工學院

where he studied for a math and physics teaching diploma.

他則獲得了數學和物理教學的學位

But skipping classes to spend more time in the lab

但是他卻翹課花時間泡在研究室

and neglecting to show proper deference to his professors

對教授不夠尊重

had derailed his intended career path.

種種行為使他的職業生涯偏離正軌

Passed over even for a lab assistant position,

他甚至沒有成為實驗室研究助理

he had to settle for a job at the Swiss patent office,

只能靠著友人父親的幫助找到工作

obtained with the help of a friend's father.

最後在瑞士專利辦公室定了下來

Working six days a week as a patent clerk,

雖身為周休一日的專利局職員

Einstein still managed to make some time for physics,

愛因斯坦仍然為物理擠出時間

discussing the latest work with a few close friends,

與親近的朋友討論最新的作業進度

and publishing a couple of minor papers.

並出版了一些小型論文

It came as a major surprise

令人驚訝的是

when in March 1905 he submitted a paper with a shocking hypothesis.

他在1905年3月以驚人的假設提交論文

Despite decades of evidence that light was a wave,

雖然數十年來的證據都顯示光是「波」

Einstein proposed that it could, in fact, be a particle,

愛因斯坦卻認為光可能其實是「粒子」

showing that mysterious phenomena, such as the photoelectric effect,

使得「光電效應」等神秘現象

could be explained by his hypothesis.

因為這個假設而得到解釋

The idea was derided for years to come,

這個想法在其後多年不斷被嘲笑

but Einstein was simply twenty years ahead of his time.

但愛因斯坦其實領先了時代20年

Wave-particle duality was slated to become a cornerstone of the quantum revolution.

波粒二象性成為量子革命的重要基石

Two months later in May, Einstein submitted a second paper,

兩個月後的五月，愛因斯坦提了第二篇論文

this time tackling the centuries old question of whether atoms actually exist.

回答了「原子是否存在」的老問題

Though certain theories were built on the idea of invisible atoms,

雖然許多理論都以看不見的原子為基礎

some prominent scientists still believed them to be a useful fiction,

有些傑出科學家仍深信它們是好用的假設

rather than actual physical objects.

而非真實存在的物體

But Einstein used an ingenious argument,

但愛因斯坦用了個聰明的論證

showing that the behavior of small particles

顯示出「布朗運動」裡

randomly moving around in a liquid, known as Brownian motion,

微小粒子在液體中的隨機運動

could be precisely predicted

其實能從肉眼不可見的原子碰撞

by the collisions of millions of invisible atoms.

進行精準的路徑預測

Experiments soon confirmed Einstein's model,

實驗很快地證實了愛因斯坦的假設

and atomic skeptics threw in the towel.

原子懷疑論者不得不認輸

The third paper came in June.

第三篇論文於六月發表

For a long time,

長久以來

Einstein had been troubled by an inconsistency

愛因斯坦一直苦於

between two fundamental principles of physics.

物理學中兩個基本理論的矛盾

The well established principle of relativity,

相對論的既定原則

going all the way back to Galileo,

早在伽利略的時期便已確立

stated that absolute motion could not be defined.

聲稱絕對運動無法被定義

Yet electromagnetic theory, also well established,

然而同樣發展完善的電磁理論

asserted that absolute motion did exist.

卻斷言絕對運動是存在的

The discrepancy, and his inability to resolve it,

愛因斯坦無法解決兩個理論的出入

left Einstein in what he described as a state of psychic tension.

這讓他陷入一種精神緊張的狀態中

But one day in May,

但在五月的某一天

after he had mulled over the puzzle with his friend Michele Besso,

當他與好友米歇爾·貝索一同思索問題後

the clouds parted.

突然豁然開朗

Einstein realized that the contradiction could be resolved

愛因斯坦發現到矛盾是可以解決的

if it was the speed of light that remained constant,

只要光的速度維持不變

regardless of reference frame,

無論參考座標為何

while both time and space were relative to the observer.

時間、空間都相對於觀察者

It took Einstein only a few weeks to work out the details

愛因斯坦只花了幾週去想完細節

and formulate what came to be known as special relativity.

並定出理論，後世稱「狹義相對論」

The theory not only shattered our previous understanding of reality

這理論不只顛覆了人們先前對現實的認知

but would also pave the way for technologies,

更為許多技術領域鋪路

ranging from particle accelerators,

從粒子加速器

to the global positioning system.

到全球定位系統

One might think that this was enough,

或許有人會覺得這已經夠了

but in Sepember,

但在同年的九月

a fourth paper arrived as a "by the way" follow-up to the special relativity paper.

第四篇論文「順便」被提出來補充狹義相對論

Einstein had thought a little bit more about his theory,

愛因斯坦在自己的理論上想得深入了一點

and realized it also implied that mass and energy,

而後發現理論也暗示了：質量與能量

one apparently solid and the other supposedly ethereal,

一個明顯很實際、一個看似很空泛

were actually equivalent.

卻其實相等

And their relationship could be expressed in what was to become the most famous

而質量與能量間的關係則可以用史上最有名的

and consequential equation in history:

質能等價公式表示：

E=mc^2.

能量=質量x光速平方

Einstein would not become a world famous icon for nearly another fifteen years.

在接下來的15年內，愛因斯坦仍然沒沒無聞

It was only after his later general theory of relativity was confirmed in 1919

直到1909年，藉由在日蝕期間測量星光的彎曲

by measuring the bending of starlight during a solar eclipse

證實了愛因斯坦的廣義相對論

that the press would turn him into a celebrity.

媒體才將他視作名人

But even if he had disappeared back into the patent office

而即便他又再次隱跡於專利辦公室

and accomplished nothing else after 1905,

並且在1905年後再無產出

those four papers of his miracle year

但愛因斯坦奇蹟之年中的四篇論文

would have remained the gold standard of startling unexpected genius.

仍是人們檢視「天才」的黃金標準