Explain Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc²
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Each of the letters of E = mc2 stands for a particular physical quantity. Writing them out in full we get:
Energy = mass x the speed of light squared
In other words:E = energy (measured in joules, J)
m = mass (measured in kilograms, kg)
c = the speed of light (measured in metres per second, ms-1)
But this needs to be "squared".Note that the case of each letter is important and it would be incorrect to show the equation as, for example, e = MC².
This is because physicists use the case of letters as well as the letters themselves to denote particular physical entities, quantities and constants in equations.In order for the equation to be correct we need to "square" the term c (the speed of light), i.e. we multiply the speed of light by itself; hence c2 is the same as c times c. This allows us to be write the equation in another, slightly unusual, but equally correct way:E = m x c x cAs a matter of interest, and to complete the terms used in the equation, the equals sign was only invented during the 16th century, by the Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, apparently unhappy having to write out "is equal to" in his work. He could have chosen any number of symbols but chose two parallel lines because, as he himself put it, "noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle".
Energy = mass x the speed of light squared
In other words:E = energy (measured in joules, J)
m = mass (measured in kilograms, kg)
c = the speed of light (measured in metres per second, ms-1)
But this needs to be "squared".Note that the case of each letter is important and it would be incorrect to show the equation as, for example, e = MC².
This is because physicists use the case of letters as well as the letters themselves to denote particular physical entities, quantities and constants in equations.In order for the equation to be correct we need to "square" the term c (the speed of light), i.e. we multiply the speed of light by itself; hence c2 is the same as c times c. This allows us to be write the equation in another, slightly unusual, but equally correct way:E = m x c x cAs a matter of interest, and to complete the terms used in the equation, the equals sign was only invented during the 16th century, by the Welsh mathematician Robert Recorde, apparently unhappy having to write out "is equal to" in his work. He could have chosen any number of symbols but chose two parallel lines because, as he himself put it, "noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle".
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