Page 106 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

THE MOST
DANGEROUS

EQUATION

December 31, 1905
Dear diary,
What a miraculous year it has been for me, Albert Einstein. The ideas
that have been tumbling around in my head have finally come together.

Now, I have the first draft of my equation...

E=MC 2 Speed of light, squared
(i.e., the speed of light multiplied
Energy
by the speed of light)

Mass (i.e., the quantity of matter in
any body)

Let me explain. For centuries, scientists have believed that energy and mass are
completely unrelated to each other. But I wondered… What if they are one and

the same? Mass could be turned into energy and energy into mass.

To find the amount of energy, my ingenious equation multiplies mass by the speed
of light, squared. The speed of light is a vast quantity, and when it’s squared,

it is unbelievably gigantic. So my equation shows that even a teeny-weeny
atom-size mass can generate an absolutely massive amount of energy. Just
between you and me, diary, I think I deserve a big pat on the back.

But tonight, the year ends. What might my equation mean for the future?
The industrial age is at its peak right now, but we need to harness even more

energy. Some day, could we release the energy locked inside mass to power

the world? Goodbye for now, my diary.

1911
Dear diary, I haven’t forgotten you. I’ve been
so busy the past six years and there are so many
amazing developments to ponder. This year my
brilliant colleague at Cambridge University,
Ernest Rutherford, suggested that an atom has

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