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Much more to come. This has the makings of a really good article!
'''E=mc²''' is a meaningless though working, almost nonsensical though often applied, e.g., in nuclear physics, statement that purports to relate all matter to energy and light.<ref>The equation claims that the total energy ''E'' of a body in all forms is equal to that body's mass ''m'' multiplied by the square of the speed of light ''c''. </ref> In fact, no theory has successfully unified the laws governing mass (''i.e.'', gravity) with the laws governing light (''i.e.'', electromagnetism). Simply put, E=mc² is [[liberal]] claptrap.
'''E=mc²''' is perhaps the most famous, most immediately recognizable to the public, most widely quoted by the public, and least understood by the public, of all equations in science. Most people recognize it instantly, but when asked to explain it, might say something like "It says that matter and energy are the same/equivalent", or "It explains relativity", or "It tells where nuclear power comes from", or "It's about atomic bombs." In this article, we will attempt to explain what it really is, and what it isn't.
The equation is about the physical concepts of mass and energy.
Mass refers to what is often called "inertia" (though that term is used much less now than it was 100 years ago). It is sometimes called "inertial mass". Inertial mass is the resistance of an object to being accelerated when a force is applied. The "m" in E=mc^2 is the same as the "m" in Netwon's formula of motion F=ma. Gravitational mass is what makes things "heavy", that is, what is acted upon by gravity. It is the "m<sub>1</sub>" and "m<sub>2</sub>" in Newton's formula for gravity <math>F = \frac{Gm_1m_2}{d^2}</math>. The difference between inertial mass and gravitational mass used to be a burning issue among physicists, eventually being tested, and found to be the same, by the famous Eotvos experiments.
Energy refers to kinetic energy of motion, or radiated energy.
*E=mc^2 is not about gravity or gravitational mass.
*E=mc^2 is not about light, or other electromagnetic radiation, except insofar as it is a form of energy.
*E=mc^2 is not about nuclear power ''per se''. It applies everywhere.
*E=mc^2 is not about where the power of the atomic bomb comes from, though the physicists developing atomic power and atomic bombs were completely familiar with it.
A little calculation will show that E=mc^2 is dimensionally correct. So, for example, in [[SI]] units (also called MKS units), E is in Joules, m in kilograms, and c in meters per second. In CGS units or "English" units (pounds and feet) it is also dimensionally correct, as long as the units are used consistently. Physicists, when they are really into theory, sometimes like to use "natural units", which are calibrated so the c=1. We won't do that.
In any normal units, the value of c, the speed of light, is enormous, its square even more so. This means that E=mc^2 equates an extremely tiny amount of mass with an extremely large amount of energy. This gives the equation some of its mystique. We will attempt to dispel that mystique, and explain just what the equation means.
E=mc^2 is a meaningless though working, almost nonsensical though often applied, e.g., in nuclear physics, statement that purports to relate all matter to energy and light.<ref>The equation claims that the total energy ''E'' of a body in all forms is equal to that body's mass ''m'' multiplied by the square of the speed of light ''c''. </ref> In fact, no theory has successfully unified the laws governing mass (''i.e.'', gravity) with the laws governing light (''i.e.'', electromagnetism). Simply put, E=mc² is [[liberal]] claptrap.
[[Biblical Scientific Foreknowledge]] predicts that a unified theory of all the laws of physics is impossible, because light and matter were created at different times, in different ways, as described in the [[Book of Genesis]].
[[Biblical Scientific Foreknowledge]] predicts that a unified theory of all the laws of physics is impossible, because light and matter were created at different times, in different ways, as described in the [[Book of Genesis]].