Changes

All of special relativity derives for these two principles, plus assumptions of exact conservation of momentum and energy in all cases.

All of special relativity derives for these two principles, plus assumptions of exact conservation of momentum and energy in all cases.

*At the end of Einstein's original 1905 paper [http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/E_mc2/www/ "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend its Energy Content?"], he speculates on the possibility that the equation <math>E = m c^2</math>, which would normally be very hard to verify, could be verified with the extremely high energies of the newly discovered phenomenon of radioactivity.<ref>This equation is not related to [[quantum mechanics]].</ref>  In the 1910s, with the invention of the mass spectrometer, it became possible to measure masses of nuclei accurately.  This led to the clearing up of the mystery of atomic masses not being exact integers,and strongly suggested the existence of a "mass defect" (or "packing fraction") consistent with the mass-energy equivalence.  In the 1930s, experiments with known nuclear reactions showed a very accurate correlation between the masses of the nuclei involved and the energy released.  See [[Quantitative Analysis of Alpha Decay]].

*At the end of Einstein's original 1905 paper on the subject<ref>http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/E_mc2/www/ "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend its Energy Content?"</ref>, he speculates on the possibility that the equation <math>E = m c^2</math>, which would normally be very hard to verify, could be verified with the extremely high energies of the newly discovered phenomenon of radioactivity.<ref>This equation is not related to [[quantum mechanics]].</ref>  In the 1910s, with the invention of the mass spectrometer, it became possible to measure masses of nuclei accurately.  This led to the clearing up of the mystery of atomic masses not being exact integers,and strongly suggested the existence of a "mass defect" (or "packing fraction") consistent with the mass-energy equivalence.  In the 1930s, experiments with known nuclear reactions showed a very accurate correlation between the masses of the nuclei involved and the energy released.  See [[Quantitative Analysis of Alpha Decay]].

*Another prediction of special relativity was time dilation in rapidly moving objects.  This effect was most famously verified in the anomalously slow decay of relativistic cosmic muons.<ref>Some have suggested that other explanations are possible for this effect.  We are trying to track this down.</ref>  Time dilation has since been verified many times, and is routinely taken into account in all high-energy nuclear physics experiments, as in Hadron collision experiments.<ref>Experiments specifically designed to check dilation are rarely conducted any more.</ref>

*Another prediction of special relativity was time dilation in rapidly moving objects.  This effect was most famously verified in the anomalously slow decay of relativistic cosmic muons.<ref>Some have suggested that other explanations are possible for this effect.  We are trying to track this down.</ref>  Time dilation has since been verified many times, and is routinely taken into account in all high-energy nuclear physics experiments, as in Hadron collision experiments.<ref>Experiments specifically designed to check dilation are rarely conducted any more.</ref>