Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Did you know we can thank physics laureate Albert Einstein, in part, for our smartphone cameras?
You probably know him best for his theory of relativity, but he actually was awarded the 1921 physics prize for explaining one of light’s weirdest behaviours: the photoelectric effect.
The world hasn't been the same since then: the photoelectric effect has gone on to shape all kinds of technologies - from solar panels to the camera in our smartphones.
This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC.
Did you know we can thank physics laureate Albert Einstein, in part, for our smartphone cameras?
You probably know him best for his theory of relativity, but he actually was awarded the 1921 physics prize for explaining one of light’s weirdest behaviours: the photoelectric effect.
The world hasn't been the same since then: the photoelectric effect has gone on to shape all kinds of technologies - from solar panels to the camera in our smartphones.
This content was created as a co-production between Nobel Prize Outreach and the BBC.
