The myth originated in his native Germany, where it's common folklore that Einstein just had a barely adequate grade in math. To understand why, take a look at the grading system in Germany and Switzerland - where he finally went to school in Aarau to get his Matura in 1896. [1]
It's been the same in both countries as it is today.
Germany vs. Switzerland
1 = 6 = Excellent
2 = 5 = Good
3 = 4 = Sufficient
4 = 3 = Insufficient (fail)
5 = 2 = Poor (fail)
6 = 1 = Very poor (fail)
It's the exact same system just mirrored, very easy to confuse... and in the first biography's this apparently indeed had been translated incorrectly [2]. In reality, he had perfect marks in algebra, physics and geometry:
Of course, this is not going away, it's just too an appealing and inspiring story for every generation of pupils...
It's been the same in both countries as it is today.
Germany vs. Switzerland
1 = 6 = Excellent
2 = 5 = Good
3 = 4 = Sufficient
4 = 3 = Insufficient (fail)
5 = 2 = Poor (fail)
6 = 1 = Very poor (fail)
It's the exact same system just mirrored, very easy to confuse... and in the first biography's this apparently indeed had been translated incorrectly [2]. In reality, he had perfect marks in algebra, physics and geometry:
Of course, this is not going away, it's just too an appealing and inspiring story for every generation of pupils...
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