Einstein's Big Blunder

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In 2005, we are celebrating the centenary of Einstein's theory of relativity.  When he proposed his equations, one thing bothered him - they suggested that the universe is expanding and decelerating.  This troubled him because it implied that the universe began this expansion at a specific time in the past. Einstein, like most physicists in the early 20th century, incorrectly believed that the universe was static and eternal.

Evidence that implied that the universe was not static bothered him because it pointed to a beginning, and a beginning opened the door to a "beginner."  So Einstein looked for a loophole, and introduced an arbitrary antigravity constant, known as the cosmological constant.  He is reputed to have said that this was "the biggest blunder of my life."

If Einstein had relied on the pure equations and not introduced "a fudge factor" to ensure a static universe that had no beginning, he would have been the first to predict an expanding universe.

We now know from lots of experimental evidence that the universe is expanding.  Not only did the universe have a beginning, but so did time, and space, as well as matter and energy.

Later reflecting on his life Einstein wrote that "the harmony of natural law reveals an intelligence of such superiority that compared with it, all the thinking of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."

So next time you make a mistake, remember that even Einstein was capable of making "big blunders."