This inquisitive child learned much more from doting relatives at home than he did from at his school. His music-loving mother introduced him to the violin, and he began taking lessons at age six. He was also introduced to math at home, through his Uncle Jakob. Jakob began teaching him algebra, as part of a "game" they played together. The love of both math and music, which his family had unwittingly instilled in him, would continue with him for all of his life. Unfortunately, his caring family would not be able to stay with him forever. In 1894, his father's business failed, and the family decided to move to Italy. They decided to leave Albert behind so that he could finish his high school career, and receive the diploma that would allow him to enter the university. He was desperately unhappy though, and he tried repeatedly to get a "medical leave of absence" from his school so that he could go to see his family. However, his plan turned out to be unnecessary. At 16 years of age, he was expelled from school for being unruly, and having an insolent, undisciplined attitude. After his expulsion, his followed his family to Italy, where he continued his studies on his own. After several months though, his parents decided that he must start studying for a practical profession. He decided to apply to go to The Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. Unlike most of the German universities, they did not require a diploma, only that you pass an entrance examination. Albert took the exam, hoping that his mastery of science and math would compensate for his deficiencies in other areas. His gamble failed though, and he was left with a future that was looking bleak. However, there was one glimmer of hope left for Einstein. His math scores were so astronomically high that FIT urged him to spend a year studying for a degree at a nearby secondary school. Having t...