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A Physics Special On Mass Energy Equivalence

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The
Great Lakes Tribune

A Physics Special on
Mass-Energy Equivalence
Article By: Hugh Corley

History

Born in Germany in 1879, Albert Einstein was theoretical physicist. After graduating high school, he began working in a Swiss patent office in 1903. 1905 was like any other year in the patent office. That is, until September 27, when Albert Einstein finished a paper that would revolutionize physics.

Titled “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy-Content?” it was the final paper in a series of four he submitted that year to the German physics journal, Annalen der Physik. The first three papers explained the photoelectric effect, gave experimental proof of the atoms, and introduced the theory of special relativity. In the fourth paper however, Einstein explained the idea of mass-energy equivalence, using the now famous equation E=mc2. Although the idea of mass-energy equivalence existed before Einstein, it was never realized and systematically consolidated to a single equation. iii

Explanation

Figure 1: The Rest Mass Energy Equation.ii

This equation states that that the energy of the system (E) is equivalent to the mass of the system (m) times the speed of light squared. In short, mass and energy are separate quantities that are closely related. So close, in fact, that they are physically equivalent to each other. An increase in energy yields a proportional increase in inertial mass. However it is important to note that the matter remains unchanged. Another

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