Einstein's famous formula for converting mass to energy is given by the equation E=mc². In this equation:
- E represents energy,
- m represents mass, and
- c represents the speed of light in a vacuum, which is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second.
This equation demonstrates the concept that mass and energy are interchangeable and that a small amount of mass can be converted into a large amount of energy. It is often referred to as the mass-energy equivalence.
The equation implies that the energy content of an object is proportional to its mass. The speed of light, squared (c²), is an incredibly large number, which means that even a small amount of mass contains a significant amount of energy. This equation is fundamental to understanding nuclear reactions, such as those that occur in the sun or in nuclear power plants, where a small fraction of mass is converted into vast amounts of energy.