“If a body gives off the energy L in the form of radiation, its mass diminishes by L/c2. The fact that the energy withdrawn from the body becomes energy of radiation evidently makes no difference, so that we are led to the more general conclusion that the mass of a body is a measure of its energy-content; if the energy changes by L, the mass changes in the same sense by L / 9 × 10^20, the energy being measured in ergs, and the mass in grammes. It is not impossible that with bodies whose energy content is variable to a high degree (e.g. with radium salts) the theory may be successfully put to the test.”
Albert Einstein
“Ist die Trägheit eines Körpers von seinem Energieinhalt abhängig?”
(Manuscript received on September 27 1905)
November 21 2024 — On this day in 1905, the physics journal Annalen der Physik published Albert Einstein’s paper “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?” Contrary to popular belief, the equation E = m c² does not appear in this paper. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
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