Albert Einstein and School Math

Since that "Einstein" has come to be associated with genius and that he was a legendary figure, it is not surprising that numerous myths have developed around him. The most well-known of these was undoubtedly that Einstein struggled with math in elementary school. Since it makes us feel better about our own errors and failings and gives us hope that one day we can change everything, this tale is well-known.

While the last section is undoubtedly plausible, the Einstein-related portion is not, while having some element of truth. By the time he was 11, Albert Einstein was already studying geometry, physics, and algebra at the collegiate level. He was gifted in these subjects from an early age. It is true that he failed an exam, though it wasn't in elementary school; rather, it was the Zurich Polytechnic entrance exam. When Einstein first attempted it, he was just 16 years old, and he failed because the tests were in French, a subject that the young Albert did find difficult. Even so, he answered every arithmetic question correctly.

Another potential origin for the tale was a flip in his school's grading scheme. Anyone looking at Einstein's academic record would observe that, at one point, he began receiving a lot of 6s, even though a 1 should have been the highest grade. But, Einstein didn't overnight become illiterate. The grade order was simply inverted at the school, with grade 6 being the highest. Sorry, but Einstein has always been a child prodigy no matter how you look at it.