I might just be stupid because math is not my strong suit, but it seems like the fact that metric units are able to convert between mass and energy so cleanly is astounding. Especially since the metric system was invented so long before relativity, meaning these units were obviously not designed with this in mind.
What’s am I missing here? Is it possible to write an equivalent equation for imperial units?
In: Mathematics
The joule as a unit of measure, as currently defined, was proposed in 1935 and accepted as a metric unit in 1946. So they very much knew the definition from relativity when they formed the definition for units of energy. Previously the metric system had the calorie as a unit of energy – based on how much energy would raise a fixed volume of water by a fixed temperature.
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