Sub-Category:
Miscellaneous
Date Published:
September 29, 2021
Keywords:
energy, mass, speed of light
Abstract:
E equals mc squared − Even people with no background in physics have at least heard of this equation and are aware of its prodigious influence on the world we live in. This was the equation that gave birth to the atom bomb and heralded a new world of atomic physics. And since the speed of light is constant, this equation tells us that mass and energy are interconvertible and are two different forms of the same thing and are in fact equivalent. As we know, the speed of light squared (speed of light multiplied by itself) is huge: 9 × 10 to the power of 16 meters square per second square. So if we convert a small amount of mass, we will get a tremendous amount of energy. For example, if we convert 1kg of mass, we will get energy of 9 × 10 to the power of 16 Joules. Einstein's equation introduced not only the atomic bomb, but to other ways of harnessing nuclear energy as well.
<<< Back