Equation Invasion

The world's most famous equation is probably Einstein's E=mc2 . Einstein made an astounding discovery about the relationship between energy and mass , and put it into this formula. What does it mean?

E=mcsquared

E = ENERGY

  • Energy makes things happen, such as making objects move or get hotter.
  • Energy often changes from one form to another. It comes in many forms, such as heat and light.

Equal sign = THE BIG THING

  • The equal sign let's us compare and connect two things that are equivalent. For example, 1 dollar = 100 pennies.
  • E=mc2 compares and connects mass and energy.
  • E=mc2 explains how much energy is in any amount of matter—the more mass something has, the more energy it has.
  • Since c2 is such a huge number, a little bit of mass contains a huge amount of energy. 

m = MASS

  • Mass is the amount of "stuff" an object has.
  • Mass isn't connected to size.
  • Same-sized things can have different masses. For example, a box of tissues is the same size as a brick. But they have different masses—and different results if you drop one on your foot!

c2 = SPEED OF LIGHT SQUARED

  • c = the speed of light = 670 million miles per hour = 670,000,000 mph.
  • In this equation, c is squared, which is 670 million mph x 670 million mph. That's a big, big number!
  • c in the equation comes from the latin word celeritas, which means "swiftness."

Mind Melter
Converting the tiny mass in a paper clip into energy could light millions of homes for a year!

Image credits

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Image Credits:

Photos: Michael Shara: courtesy of Denis Finnin, AMNH; Illustrations: Equation Invasion: Tony Persiani; Everyday Einstein: Daryll Collins; Light the Way: Space cop: Daniel Guidera; Electromagnetic Spectrum : Eric Hamilton