| E = mc2, the famous equation deduced by Albert Einstein from his Special Theory of Relativity, is a statement of the equivalence of energy and mass. It asserts that mass (m) can be completely converted into energy (E). If one kilogram of material is completely converted into energy in accordance with this equation, it will generate the same vast amount of energy as would the burning of about three million tons of coal. The E = mc2 equation is actually used to calculate the amount of energy that could be generated from nuclear fission, fusion and other reactions between nuclei, which are the cores of atoms, and consist of protons and neutrons.
|
