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mass-energy equivalence
- An equation derived from Einstein's theory of Special Relativity expressing the relationship between the mass and energy of objects with mass. The equation is E = mc 2, where E is the energy of the object in joules, m is its relativistic mass in kilograms, and c is the speed of light (approximately 3 × 10 8 meters per second). Mass-energy equivalence entails that the total mass of a system may change, although the total energy and momentum remain constant; for example, the collision of an electron and a proton annihilates the mass of both particles, but creates energy in the form of photons. The discovery of mass-energy equivalence was essential to the development of theories of atomic fission and fusion reactions.
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Besides mass-energy equivalence and gravitational time dilation, a third concept which emerges from the mathematics of relativity is something known as the metric field.
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Granted, it’s blurry, but could this be the only photograph of Einstein’s derivation of the mass-energy equivalence? i09 has more, including a link to the relevant 2007 paper deciphering the physicist’s scribblings.
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