Why is Einstein’s E=MC2 such a big deal that everyone’s heard of it? How important was that discovery actually, is it like in the top 3 most important discoveries of all time or is it kind of overhyped?

Question

Why is Einstein’s E=MC2 such a big deal that everyone’s heard of it? How important was that discovery actually, is it like in the top 3 most important discoveries of all time or is it kind of overhyped?

In: 1393

Answer 1

It is simple and revolutionary — to those not involved in physics at a very high level, the idea that mass and energy could be converted one to another was mind-boggling. The equivalence also led directly to the creation of the atomic bomb, which loomed much larger in worldwide consciousness at the time than it does now.

Answer 2

It is simple and revolutionary — to those not involved in physics at a very high level, the idea that mass and energy could be converted one to another was mind-boggling. The equivalence also led directly to the creation of the atomic bomb, which loomed much larger in worldwide consciousness at the time than it does now.