What does E=mc2 mean?

Question

No, I'm not asking you to do your homework for me. My school days are far behind me. One of the things I never took the time to learn in school is what in the world this equation actually means. Actually, I know that it means that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared, but what does that mean? When does this actually happen in nature? Can we see examples of this if we go outside and look around? When does it happen? Why is it important in everyday life? How did this discovery make the world a better place?

Answer 1

To get the concept a bit better, expand the equation a bit :

Energy = Mass x (186,200 Mi. Sec.)^2

You now see that it defines a relationship between

Energy, Mass, Time, & Distance (space).

It is the seed of relativity.

Answer 2

This equation is the basis behind the nuclear bomb. It also occurs in the sun.

Why it happens, I do not know, but the knowledge of this eqn. allows people to learn how to generate nuclear power

Answer 3

"...When does this actually happen in nature? Can we see examples of this if we go outside and look around? When does it happen? Why is it important in everyday life?..."

It happens in nature constantly. All the stars in the sky -- including our own sun -- create energy and light through the e=mc² process. Without this process our sun wouldn't exist and there would likely be no life on Earth.

e=mc² shows that energy and mass are merely equivalents, i.e., different forms of the same thing. Therefore, mass can be generated if enough energy is brought to bear (m = e ÷ c²)

Answer 4

do your homework! hehe!

Answer 5

Energy=mass*Speed of light^2

This means that the ammount of energy released in a nuclear reaction is equal to the mass of the original substance multiplied by the speed of light squared.

It is the theory of relativity created by Albert Einstein. It is the fundimental equation for the hydrogen bomb and the sun to work...heres an equation, its the sun's source of power....hydrogen fusion...

e (energy put out by the sun) = 4.0316H g/mol (grams per mol or 6.02*10^23 atoms of Hydrogen) x 299792458m/s (speed of light)

Answer 6

E=mc² is actually the formula made by Einstein in making bombs. But he did not made it on purpose for the makings of the bombs. he made it to study about relativity of objects.

Answer 7

E = m * (c)^2

Energy = Mass * (speed of light)^2

Perhaps the most profound meaning of the equations is that the amount of mass and energy in the universe is finite.  There is a finite amount of mass and energy in the universe -- that amount cannot increase or decrease.  Mass can turn into energy, energy can turn into mass, but the sum of the two will never increase or decrease.

The speed of light squared is just the factor between the two, it's a constant.  It's sort of like saying x = 3y -- for every y, you have 3 times that many x.

Answer 8

Some would say it made the world a worse place.  All it means is mass and energy are one and the same.  The formula tells how much energy is released for a given mass.  Since C squared (C being the speed of light) is a huge number the formula explains why only a tiny amount of mass is needed to destroy a city with a nuclear bomb.

Answer 9

it means that mass and energy are actually the same entity.  neither can appear without the other.  hence the term "mass-energy".  this means that something with, say a mass of 1 kg, has a HUGE amount of energy associated with it...about 300,000,000 times, meaning it has about 300,000,000 joules of energy.  This is why atomic bombs are so powerful...they make use of this mass to energy conversion.  a small amount of uranium can make a huge explosion.

it is a part of nature, and therefore it happens all the time.  this equation is actually just one implication of Einstein's broader Theory of Special Relativity, which shows that time is not absolute, but relative to your velocity.

This discovery helped with the advancement of technology.  GPS needs equations of relativity.  It has also helped with the advancement of physics.  There is just so much to comment on how it made the world better.

I hope that made sense.  still any questions?

Answer 10

I thinks its .....Energy= mass (idunno c) squared...iti has to do with the earth i think. dont take my word for it beccause i MAY NOT BE RIGHT! sorry!

Answer 11

That to find the energy(E), you multiply the mass(M) by the square of the speed of light(C), this number being 300,000,000 meters per second (a very large number):

Answer 12

yet another equation from the brilliant Albert Einstein,

mathematically representing the relation of energy from a mass

Answer 13

http://www.osti.gov/accomplishments/nugg...

Answer 14

it relates mass and energy.

all mass has an energy even when at a zero velocity.  it's energy is equal to it's mass x (the speed of light)²

This is important in atomics because matter is being converted into pure energy (atomic bomb)

hypothetically, if you had enough energy you could convert it into mass.

Edit: I found this a while back that really gives a good insight into the equation.  It's the commentaries of 10 scientists and their opinions on Einstein's legendary equation.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/ex...

Answer 15

The mass-energy equivalence!

How much energy would you get if you convert mass in to energy!

E -> the energy, measured in joules;

m -> the mass, measured in kg;

c -> the speed of light which is exactly 299,792,458 m/s.

Answer 16

any nuclear explosion is a good example of Mother Nature obeying this equation - a small amount of mass is changed into a huge amount of energy. Ditto nuclear plants, nuclear submarines, the Sun.