E=MC2 can be simplified to E=M (energy equals mass, mass equals energy). The C2 (the speed of light squared) is just a constant used for quantification purposes, i.e., "this much energy equals this much mass." The fundamental insight of Einstein was that mass and energy are interchangable.
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Originally posted by Lysear
E=MC2 . I am not a scientist, so if I'm way off the mark then just tell me! I was thinking about this while biking home from work last night. I think it means energy equals mass times acceleration squared (again, if this isnt the case, then whoops! ignore this) I can sort of understand this from a basic point of view, but one thing that I dont understand is why it is acceleration squared. Why does it have to be squared, does this just signify that acceleration isnt a given and that it alters due to the weight of the mass?
sorry if this all sounds like rubbish, but either way I would appreciate an answer.