N:dlzc D:aol T:com (dlzc) wrote:
Dear Jacques:
"Jacques" wrote in message
...
...
I have a question which bothers me since long time
and maybe with your help I can find the answer at
last. Since I heard the formule E=mc^2 for the first
time it struck me that there seems to be no logical
relation between the energy contained in a mass
and the speed of light.
How about as a "constant of integration"?
I have no difficulties to understand that the energy
contained in a mass is equivalent to that mass.
Then let c = 1. There are units systems where that is true. You
Seems to be wrong: Speed of light is much higher than 1.
1 is like staying still.
just have to do "simple" conversions to get from those systems to
the more familiar mks, cgs, or fps systems.
My problem is: what the hell has this to do with
the speed of something else (an electromagnetic
wave). I cannot see the connection between them.
What is the upper limit speed that mass can have? What is the
We dont know. Much lesser than c.
How much is that?
fastest speed that the EM binding forces that hold that mass
together has?
Has anyone really ever measured EM binding forces?
How they did that?
These two things: mass and energy on one side
and the speed of light on the other side seem too
disparate to me to allow a logical link between them.
I'm sorry. Consider the Universe it is embedded in then.
Looks rather that them are embedded in Universe.
Which one is bigger?
I wonder, if someone can explain this connection.
I wouldn't have been surprised if the Joule (the unit
for energy) had been established in consequence of
this formula, but I think both Joule, kg, m/s were
already existent before E=mc^2.
But "units systems" will not hold an answer for you either way.
I learned from Wikipedia that James Joule died in
1889, thus before Einstein discovered his famous
formula, which I think happened in 1905.
http://www.bautforum.com/archive/index.php/t-541.html
... it has a varied history, with different constants (but still
involving c).
David A. Smith