I understand it’s “energy equals mass times the speed of light squared”, but it’s always portrayed as the most significant equation.
Is this just because Einstein was a popular figure, or is it particularly important in understanding the universe? Moreso than other equations?
In: Physics
It’s significant because it explains a lot about what mass is. It’s a form of carrying energy.
The mass of the particles you are made up of (quarks and electrons) together is nowhere near enough to account for your total mass. That mass comes from the energy in the bonds (gluons) that hold these particles together. A lot of energy in fact – proportional to the square of the speed of light.
The more energy an object contains, the more it weighs. So a hot pan weighs more than a pan at room temperature. Why, because heat is a form of energy and mass is a way of carrying that energy.
If you can split apart the bonds in these gluons, you can release a terrific amount of energy – the bonds in a walnut can power a whole city.
The bonds in atoms of uranium were used to bomb cities.
Source: the big questions in physics – Michael Brooks
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