Physics · 1905
Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?
Albert Einstein
Overview
A three-page sequel to the special-relativity paper in which Einstein drew out its most famous consequence: mass and energy are equivalent. A body that emits energy loses mass in proportion, captured by the relation later written as E = mc².
Established mass–energy equivalence, the principle behind nuclear energy and stellar physics.
Key findings
Methods
A short theoretical argument applying the relativistic treatment of light energy from his earlier 1905 paper to a body emitting two equal pulses of radiation in opposite directions, then comparing its energy in two inertial frames.
Keywords
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