Daniel Ackerman

Mr. Yack

Physics 5

4/28/18

The Equivalence of Mass and Energy

The section The Equivalence of Mass and Energy explains Einstein’s new equation for kinetic

energy, rest energy, as well as the magnitude and conversion factor between mass and rest

energy.

Einstein’s new equation for kinetic energy is based on the principles of special relativity.

The classic physics equation KE=1/2mv2 had to be modified for relativity and the new equation

was: KE=mc2/ (√1-(v2/c2))-mc2. In the new equation m is mass, v is velocity, and c is the speed

of light. The difference between the two equations at speeds lower than the speed of light is so

minimal that the original classic equation can be used.

Rest energy is the second term in Einstein’s relativity kinetic energy equation. Rest

energy is required so that the kinetic energy equals zero when the velocity equals zero. Rest

energy shows that the total energy of a system equals its kinetic energy plus another form of

energy to get a sum of mc2. This equation is one of the most familiar of Einstein’s equations:

ER=mc2. That equation proves that any object with mass has energy just because it has mass.

The equation is special because rest energy is not in classical physics and is an aspect of special

relativity. The difference between mass and rest energy is so big that very small masses have

tons of rest energy.

 This relativity text is different then what was learned in class because the relativity text

uses the speed of light and rest energy to determine the kinetic energy. The class used the

classical kinetic energy formula, but the text uses Einstein’s new equation for kinetic energy. In

class the mass’s rest energy was not considered. The text uses special relativity, which was not

use in class.

Relativity affects our lives in positive ways. In nuclear fission, rest energy is made into

other forms of energy to create electricity. This process is done by splitting the nucleus of an

atom into two or more nuclei, the two new nuclei are smaller than the original nucleus and

release large amounts of energy when split. Another kind of nuclear reaction lets our sun and

stars burn. The sun fuses hydrogen into helium creating energy.

The relativity also affects our lives in negative ways. Nuclear fission is used to create nuclear

bombs, which help defend our country, but also are a major threat. When the nucleuses are split, and

the energy is released that creates harmful radiation. Nuclear fission also creates nuclear waste. The

nuclear waste is harmful to our environment and has to be stored somewhere.

Einstein’s new relativity equation for kinetic energy allows us to find out the energy of an object

with its mass, even when it was not being heated, moved, irradiated, or anything else. With the

relativity equation, new matter can be created out of energy. This process is done by taking two

protons with enough energy, smashing them together, and getting out three protons and one

antiproton.
 The phenomena of the equivalence of mass and energy are very interesting. Einstein’s new

equation has helped to unlock more possibilities in the universe. It is cool to think that there is energy

stored in mass all around us just waiting to be released.

Work Cited

Jha, Alok. “E=mc2: Einstein's Equation That Gave Birth to the Atom Bomb.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, 5 Apr. 2014, www.theguardian.com/science/2014/apr/05/einstein-

equation-emc2-special-relativity-alok-jha.

Siegel, Ethan. “How Einstein's Most Famous Equation Affects You.” Starts With A Bang, Science

Blogs, 11 July 2013, scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2013/07/10/how-einsteins-most-famous-

equation-affects-you/.