Tag: E mc

A single paperclip, if its entire mass were converted to energy, could produce an explosion comparable to the Hiroshima atomic bomb. This staggering potential reveals a deep truth about the relationship between energy and mass, but can this energy be measured in grams?

The theoretical annihilation of matter and antimatter produces the most energy per gram by far, based on Einstein's famous equation $E=mc^2$. A single gram of antimatter, when reacting with a gram of ordinary matter, would release an immense amount of energy, fundamentally changing mass into pure energy.

One gram of Uranium-235 undergoing complete nuclear fission can release approximately 20 billion calories (or 20 million kilocalories), a number far beyond the wildest culinary imagination. This astonishing fact often appears as a meme or a trivia question, but it hinges on a crucial distinction between nutritional and nuclear energy.

Based on the mass-energy equivalence principle, $E=mc^2$, matter-antimatter annihilation represents a 100% conversion of mass to energy, making antimatter, theoretically, what is the most highly concentrated energy source in the universe. However, this exotic and incredibly dense energy source faces enormous challenges for practical use.

According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, a body at rest possesses a tremendous amount of energy, even without any motion. This intrinsic energy, known as rest energy, is directly related to its mass through the iconic equation $E=mc^2$. Understanding what is the energy of a body at rest requires looking beyond simple kinetic energy to explore the fundamental nature of mass and energy.