No, the total energy of an object is not equal to half of its rest mass times c squared. The correct equation that relates energy (E) and rest mass (m) is given by Einstein's famous mass-energy equivalence formula:
E = mc^2
In this equation, E represents the total energy of an object, m is its rest mass, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum. According to this formula, mass and energy are interchangeable, and a small amount of mass can be converted into a large amount of energy.
The equation does not involve dividing the rest mass by two or multiplying by a factor of one-half. It simply states that the energy of an object is directly proportional to its rest mass, with the constant of proportionality being the square of the speed of light.
It's important to note that this equation specifically applies to an object at rest, where its energy is solely attributed to its rest mass. When an object is in motion, additional factors like kinetic energy must be considered to calculate the total energy of the object.