{ { Short description|Relativity concept expressed as E { { = } } mc² } }
{ { redirect2|E { { = } } MC²|E { { = } } mc² } }
[ [ File : M87 jet.jpg|thumb|Mass near the [ [ M87* ] ] black hole is converted into a very energetic [ [ astrophysical jet ] ] , stretching five thousand [ [ Light-year|light years ] ] ] ]
In [ [ physics ] ] , `` 'mass–energy equivalence '' ' is the relationship between [ [ mass ] ] and [ [ energy ] ] in a system 's [ [ rest frame ] ] , where the two quantities differ only by a multiplicative constant and the units of measurement. < ref name=Serway1217 > { { Cite book|last1=Serway |first1=Raymond A.|title=Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics|last2=Jewett |first2=John W. |last3=Peroomian |first3=Vahé|date=5 March 2013|isbn=978-1-133-95405-7|edition=9th|location=Boston , MA|oclc=802321453|pages=1217–1218 } } < /ref > < ref name=Günther > { { Citation|last1=Günther|first1=Helmut|title=Einstein 's Energy–Mass Equivalence|date=2019|url=https : //doi.org/10.1007/978f=The Special Theory of Relativity : Einstein ’ s World in New Axiomatics|pages=97–105|editor-last=Günther|editor-first=Helmut|place=Singapore|publisher=Springer|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-981-13-7783-9_7|isbn=978-981-13-7783-9|access-date=2020-10-14|last2=Müller|first2=Volker|s2cid=209978258|editor2-last=Müller|editor2-first=Volker|archive-date=2021-02-21|archive-url=https : //web.archive.org/web/20210221080229/https : //link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007 % 2F978-981-13-7783-9_7|url-status=live } } < /ref > The principle is described by the physicist [ [ Albert Einstein ] ] 's formula : & nbsp ; < math qid=Q35875 > E = mc^2 < /math > . < ref name= '' famous '' > { { cite book |title=E=mc < sup > 12 ! < /sup > : A Biography of the World 's Most Famous Equation |edition=illustrated |first1=David |last1=Bodanis |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8027-1821-1|at=preface|url=https : //books.google.com/books ? id=8TX2tFLZ7gYC } } < /ref > In a [ [ reference frame ] ] where the system is moving , its [ [ relativistic energy ] ] and [ [ Mass in special relativity|relativistic mass ] ] ( instead of [ [ Rest Mass|rest mass ] ] ) obey the same formula .

The formula defines the energy { { math| '' E '' } } of a particle in its rest frame as the product of mass ( { { math| '' m '' } } ) with the [ [ speed of light ] ] squared ( { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } ) . Because the speed of light is a large number in everyday units ( approximately { { cvt|300000|km/s|mi/s|comma=gaps|sigfig=3|disp=x| or } } ) , the formula implies that a small amount of `` rest mass '' , measured when the system is at rest , corresponds to an enormous amount of energy , which is independent of the composition of the [ [ matter ] ] .

Rest mass , also called [ [ invariant mass ] ] , is a fundamental [ [ physical property ] ] that is independent of [ [ momentum ] ] , even at extreme speeds approaching the speed of light . Its value is the same in all [ [ inertial frame of reference|inertial frames of reference ] ] . [ [ Massless particle ] ] s such as [ [ photon ] ] s have zero invariant mass , but massless [ [ free particle ] ] s have both momentum and energy .

The equivalence principle implies that when energy is lost in [ [ chemical reaction ] ] s , [ [ nuclear reaction ] ] s , and other [ [ energy transformation ] ] s , the [ [ Physical system|system ] ] will also lose a corresponding amount of mass . The energy , and mass , can be released to the environment as [ [ radiant energy ] ] , such as [ [ light ] ] , or as [ [ thermal energy ] ] . The principle is fundamental to many fields of physics , including [ [ nuclear physics|nuclear ] ] and [ [ particle physics ] ] .

Mass–energy equivalence arose from [ [ special relativity ] ] as a [ [ paradox ] ] described by the French [ [ polymath ] ] [ [ Henri Poincaré ] ] ( 1854–1912 ) . < ref name=action > { { Cite journal| author=Poincaré , H. | year=1900 | title=La théorie de Lorentz et le principe de réaction | journal=Archives Néerlandaises des Sciences Exactes et Naturelles | volume =5 | pages =252–278| title-link=s : fr : La théorie de Lorentz et le principe de réaction|language=fr|trans-title= [ http : //physicsinsights.org/poincare-1900.pdf The Theory of Lorentz and The Principle of Reaction ] } } < /ref > Einstein was the first to propose the equivalence of mass and energy as a general principle and a consequence of the [ [ Spacetime symmetries|symmetries of space and time ] ] . The principle first appeared in `` Does the inertia of a body depend upon its energy-content ? `` , one of his [ [ annus mirabilis papers| '' annus mirabilis '' papers ] ] , published on 21 November 1905. < ref name= '' inertia '' > { { Cite journal|last=Einstein|first=A.|date=1905|title=Ist die Trägheit eines Körpers von seinem Energieinhalt abhängig ? |journal=Annalen der Physik|language=de|volume=323|issue=13|pages=639–641|doi=10.1002/andp.19053231314|bibcode=1905AnP ... 323..639E|trans-title= [ http : //www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/einstein/E_mc2/www/ Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon its Energy-Content ? ] |issn=1521-3889|doi-access=free } } < /ref > The formula and its relationship to momentum , as described by the [ [ energy–momentum relation ] ] , were later developed by other physicists .

==Description==
{ { Special relativity sidebar } }

Mass–energy equivalence states that all objects having [ [ mass ] ] , or `` massive objects '' , have a corresponding intrinsic energy , even when they are stationary . In the [ [ rest frame ] ] of an object , where by definition it is motionless and so has no [ [ momentum ] ] , the mass and energy are equal or they differ only by a constant factor , the [ [ speed of light ] ] squared ( { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } ) . < ref name=Serway1217 / > < ref name=Günther / > In [ [ Newtonian mechanics ] ] , a motionless body has no [ [ kinetic energy ] ] , and it may or may not have other amounts of internal stored energy , like [ [ chemical energy ] ] or [ [ thermal energy ] ] , in addition to any [ [ potential energy ] ] it may have from its position in a [ [ field ( physics ) |field of force ] ] . These energies tend to be much smaller than the mass of the object multiplied by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } , which is on the order of 10 < sup > 17 < /sup > & nbsp ; [ [ joule ] ] s for a mass of one kilogram . Due to this principle , the mass of the atoms that come out of a [ [ nuclear reaction ] ] is less than the mass of the atoms that go in , and the difference in mass shows up as heat and light with the same equivalent energy as the difference . In analyzing these explosions , Einstein 's formula can be used with { { mvar|E } } as the energy released ( removed ) , and { { mvar|m } } as the change in mass .

In [ [ Theory of relativity|relativity ] ] , all the energy that moves with an object ( i.e. , the energy as measured in the object 's rest frame ) contributes to the total mass of the body , which measures how much it resists [ [ acceleration ] ] . If an isolated box of ideal mirrors could contain light , the individually massless photons would contribute to the total mass of the box by the amount equal to their energy divided by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } . < ref > { { Cite book|last1=Puri|first1=H . S.|last2=Hans|first2=S . P.|url=https : //books.google.com/books ? id=hrBe52GPHrYC|title=Mechanics , 2E|date=2003-07-01|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=978-0-07-047360-7|language=en|page= [ https : //books.google.com/books ? id=hrBe52GPHrYC & pg=PA433 433 ] } } < /ref > For an observer in the rest frame , removing energy is the same as removing mass and the formula { { math|1= '' m '' = `` E '' / '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } indicates how much mass is lost when energy is removed. < ref > { { Cite book|last=Serway , Raymond A.|url=https : //www.worldcat.org/oclc/802321453|title=Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics.|others=Jewett , John W. , Peroomian , Vahé.|date=5 March 2013|isbn=978-1-133-95405-7|edition=Ninth|location=Boston , MA|oclc=802321453|page=1386 } } < /ref > In the same way , when any energy is added to an isolated system , the increase in the mass is equal to the added energy divided by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } . < ref name=griffithsElectro512 > { { Cite book|last=Griffiths , David J.|url=https : //www.worldcat.org/oclc/40251748|title=Introduction to electrodynamics|date=1999|publisher=Prentice Hall|isbn=978-0-13-805326-0|edition=3rd|location=Upper Saddle River , N.J.|oclc=40251748|page=512|access-date=2020-10-15|archive-date=2021-02-21|archive-url=https : //web.archive.org/web/20210221080229/https : //www.worldcat.org/title/introduction-to-electrodynamics/oclc/40251748|url-status=live } } < /ref >

==Mass in special relativity==
{ { main|Mass in special relativity } } [ [ File : E=mc²-explication.svg|thumb| { { math|1= '' E '' = `` mc '' { { smallsup|2 } } } } —In [ [ SI units ] ] , the energy { { math| '' E '' } } is measured in [ [ Joules ] ] , the mass { { math| '' m '' } } is measured in [ [ kilograms ] ] , and the [ [ speed of light ] ] is measured in [ [ meters ] ] per [ [ second ] ] . ] ] An object moves at different speeds in different [ [ Frame of reference|frames of reference ] ] , depending on the motion of the observer . This implies the kinetic energy , in both Newtonian mechanics and relativity , is 'frame dependent ' , so that the amount of relativistic energy that an object is measured to have depends on the observer . The `` relativistic mass '' of an object is given by the relativistic energy divided by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } . < ref name= '' Tipler '' > { { Cite book|last1=Tipler|first1=Paul Allen|last2=Llewellyn|first2=Ralph A.|url= https : //www.worldcat.org/oclc/49894577|title=Modern physics.|date=2003|publisher=W.H . Freeman|isbn=978-0-7167-4345-3|edition=4th|location=New York|oclc=49894577|pages=87–88 } } < /ref > Because the relativistic mass is exactly proportional to the relativistic energy , relativistic mass and relativistic energy are nearly [ [ synonym ] ] ous ; the only difference between them is the [ [ unit of measurement|units ] ] . The `` rest mass '' or [ [ invariant mass ] ] of an object is defined as the mass an object has in its rest frame , when it is not moving with respect to the observer . Physicists typically use the term `` mass '' , though experiments have shown an object 's gravitational mass depends on its total energy and not just its rest mass . { { Citation needed|date=February 2021|reason=experiments which specifically address this , unless what was meant was that the gravitational mass of a system is the invariant mass of the system as opposed to the sum of the component invariant masses } } The rest mass is the same for all [ [ inertial frame ] ] s , as it is independent of the motion of the observer , it is the smallest possible value of the relativistic mass of the object . Because of the attraction between components of a system , which results in potential energy , the rest mass is almost never [ [ Additive function|additive ] ] ; in general , the mass of an object is not the sum of the masses of its parts. < ref name= '' griffithsElectro512 '' / > The rest mass of an object is the total energy of all the parts , including kinetic energy , as observed from the center of momentum frame , and potential energy . The masses add up only if the constituents are at rest ( as observed from the center of momentum frame ) and do not attract or repel , so that they do not have any extra kinetic or potential energy. < ref group= '' note '' > They can also have a positive kinetic energy and a negative potential energy that exactly cancels. < /ref > Massless particles are particles with no rest mass , and therefore have no intrinsic energy ; their energy is due only to their momentum .

===Relativistic mass===
Relativistic mass depends on the motion of the object , so that different observers in relative motion see different values for it . The relativistic mass of a moving object is larger than the relativistic mass of an object at rest , because a moving object has kinetic energy . If the object moves slowly , the relativistic mass is nearly equal to the [ [ rest mass ] ] and both are nearly equal to the classical inertial mass ( as it appears in [ [ Newton 's laws of motion ] ] ) . If the object moves quickly , the relativistic mass is greater than the rest mass by an amount equal to the mass associated with the kinetic energy of the object . Massless particles also have relativistic mass derived from their kinetic energy , equal to their relativistic energy divided by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } , or { { math|1= '' m '' { { ssub|rel } } = `` E '' / '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } . < ref > { { Cite book|last=Mould|first=Richard A.|url=https : //books.google.com/books ? id=lfGE-wyJYIUC|title=Basic Relativity|date=2001-11-01|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-387-95210-9|language=en|page= [ https : //books.google.com/books ? id=lfGE-wyJYIUC & pg=PA126 126 ] } } < /ref > < ref > { { Cite book|last=Chow|first=Tai L.|url=https : //books.google.com/books ? id=dpnpMhw1zo8C|title=Introduction to Electromagnetic Theory : A Modern Perspective|date=2006|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|isbn=978-0-7637-3827-3|language=en|page= [ https : //books.google.com/books ? id=dpnpMhw1zo8C & pg=PA392 392 ] |access-date=2016-02-22|archive-date=2016-12-02|archive-url=https : //web.archive.org/web/20161202172249/https : //books.google.com/books ? id=dpnpMhw1zo8C|url-status=live } } < /ref > The speed of light is one in a system where length and time are measured in [ [ natural units ] ] and the relativistic mass and energy would be equal in value and dimension . As it is just another name for the energy , the use of the term `` relativistic mass '' is redundant and physicists generally reserve `` mass '' to refer to rest mass , or invariant mass , as opposed to relativistic mass. < ref name=elementaryParticles > { { Cite book|last=Griffiths , David J.|title=Introduction to elementary particles|date=2008|publisher=Wiley-VCH|isbn=978-3-527-40601-2|edition=2nd , rev.|location=Weinheim [ Germany ] |oclc=248969635|page=101 } } < /ref > < ref name=serway > { { Cite book|last=Serway , Raymond A.|title=Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics.|others=Jewett , John W. , Peroomian , Vahé.|date=5 March 2013|isbn=978-1-133-95405-7|edition=Ninth|location=Boston , MA|oclc=802321453|page=1219 } } < /ref > A consequence of this terminology is that the [ [ conservation of mass|mass is not conserved ] ] in special relativity , whereas [ [ Momentum # Conservation|the conservation of momentum ] ] and [ [ conservation of energy ] ] are both fundamental laws. < ref name=elementaryParticles / >

===Conservation of mass and energy===
{ { Main|Conservation of energy|Conservation of mass } }

The conservation of energy is a universal principle in physics and holds for any interaction , along with the conservation of momentum. < ref name=elementaryParticles / > The classical conservation of mass , in contrast , is violated in certain relativistic settings. < ref name=serway / > < ref name=elementaryParticles / > This concept has been experimentally proven in a number of ways , including the conversion of mass into kinetic energy in nuclear reactions and other interactions between [ [ elementary particle ] ] s. < ref name=serway / > While modern physics has discarded the expression 'conservation of mass ' , in older terminology a [ [ relativistic mass ] ] can also be defined to be equivalent to the energy of a moving system , allowing for a `` conservation of relativistic mass '' . < ref name=elementaryParticles / > Mass conservation breaks down when the energy associated with the mass of a particle is converted into other forms of energy , such as kinetic energy , thermal energy , or [ [ radiant energy ] ] . Similarly , kinetic or radiant energy can be used to create particles that have mass , always conserving the total energy and momentum. < ref name=elementaryParticles / >

===Massless particles===
Massless particles have zero rest mass . The [ [ Planck–Einstein relation ] ] for the energy for [ [ photon ] ] s is given by the equation { { math|1= '' E '' = `` hf '' } } , where { { mvar|h } } is the [ [ Planck constant ] ] and { { mvar|f } } is the photon [ [ frequency ] ] . This frequency and thus the relativistic energy are frame-dependent . If an observer runs away from a photon in the direction the photon travels from a source , and it catches up with the observer , the observer sees it as having less energy than it had at the source . The faster the observer is traveling with regard to the source when the photon catches up , the less energy the photon would be seen to have . As an observer approaches the speed of light with regard to the source , the [ [ redshift ] ] of the photon increases , according to the [ [ relativistic Doppler effect ] ] . The energy of the photon is reduced and as the wavelength becomes arbitrarily large , the photon 's energy approaches zero , due to the massless nature of photons , which does not permit any intrinsic energy .

===Composite systems===
{ { see also|Mass in special relativity # The mass of composite systems } }

For closed systems made up of many parts , like an [ [ atomic nucleus ] ] , planet , or star , the relativistic energy is given by the sum of the relativistic energies of each of the parts , because energies are additive in these systems . If a system is [ [ Binding energy # Mass-energy relation| '' bound '' ] ] by attractive forces , and the energy gained in excess of the work done is removed from the system , then mass is lost with this removed energy . The mass of an atomic nucleus is less than the total mass of the [ [ proton ] ] s and [ [ neutron ] ] s that make it up. < ref name=Serway1386 > { { Cite book|last=Serway , Raymond A.|url=https : //www.worldcat.org/oclc/802321453|title=Physics for scientists and engineers with modern physics.|others=Jewett , John W. , Peroomian , Vahé.|date=5 March 2013|isbn=978-1-133-95405-7|edition=Ninth|location=Boston , MA|oclc=802321453|page=1386|access-date=15 October 2020|archive-date=21 February 2021|archive-url=https : //web.archive.org/web/20210221080236/https : //www.worldcat.org/title/physics-for-scientists-and-engineers-with-modern-physics/oclc/802321453|url-status=live } } < /ref > This mass decrease is also equivalent to the energy required to break up the nucleus into individual protons and neutrons . This effect can be understood by looking at the potential energy of the individual components . The individual particles have a force attracting them together , and forcing them apart increases the potential energy of the particles in the same way that lifting an object up on earth does . This energy is equal to the work required to split the particles apart . The mass of the [ [ Solar System ] ] is slightly less than the sum of its individual masses .

For an isolated system of particles moving in different directions , the invariant mass of the system is the analog of the rest mass , and is the same for all observers , even those in relative motion . It is defined as the total energy ( divided by { { math| '' c '' < sup > 2 < /sup > } } ) in the [ [ center of momentum frame ] ] . The `` center of momentum frame '' is defined so that the system has zero total momentum ; the term [ [ center of mass ] ] frame is also sometimes used , where the `` center of mass frame '' is a special case of the center of momentum frame where the center of mass is put at the origin . A simple example of an object with moving parts but zero total momentum is a container of gas . In this case , the mass of the container is given by its total energy ( including the kinetic energy of the gas molecules ) , since the system 's total energy and invariant mass are the same in any reference frame where the momentum is zero , and such a reference frame is also the only frame in which the object can be weighed . In a similar way , the theory of special relativity posits that the thermal energy in all objects , including solids , contributes to their total masses , even though this energy is present as the kinetic and potential energies of the atoms in the object , and it ( in a similar way to the gas ) is not seen in the rest masses of the atoms that make up the object. < ref name=griffithsElectro512 / > Similarly , even photons , if trapped in an isolated container , would contribute their energy to the mass of the container . Such extra mass , in theory , could be weighed in the same way as any other type of rest mass , even though individually photons have no rest mass . The property that trapped energy in any form adds weighable mass to systems that have no net momentum is one of the consequences of relativity . It has no counterpart in classical Newtonian physics , where energy never exhibits weighable mass. < ref name=griffithsElectro512 / >

===Relation to gravity===
Physics has two concepts of mass , the gravitational mass and the inertial mass . The gravitational mass is the quantity that determines the strength of the [ [ gravitational field ] ] generated by an object , as well as the gravitational force acting on the object when it is immersed in a gravitational field produced by other bodies . The inertial mass , on the other hand , quantifies how much an object accelerates if a given force is applied to it . The mass–energy equivalence in special relativity refers to the inertial mass . However , already in the context of Newton gravity , the weak [ [ equivalence principle ] ] is postulated : the gravitational and the inertial mass of every object are the same . Thus , the mass–energy equivalence , combined with the weak equivalence principle , results in the prediction that all forms of energy contribute to the gravitational field generated by an object . This observation is one of the pillars of the [ [ general theory of relativity ] ] .

The prediction that all forms of energy interact gravitationally has been subject to experimental tests . One of the first observations testing this prediction , called the [ [ Eddington experiment ] ] , was made during the [ [ Solar eclipse of May 29 , 1919 ] ] . < ref > { { Cite journal|last1=Dyson|first1=F.W.|author2=Eddington , A.S.|author3=Davidson , C.R.|name-list-style=amp|date=January 1920|title=IX . A determination of the deflection of light by the sun 's gravitational field , from observations made at the total eclipse of May 29 , 1919|journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London . Series A , Containing Papers of a Mathematical or Physical Character|language=en|volume=220|issue=571–581|pages=291–333|doi=10.1098/rsta.1920.0009|bibcode=1920RSPTA.220..291D|issn=0264-3952|doi-access=free } } < /ref > < ref > { { Cite journal|last=Stanley|first=Matthew|date=2003-03-01|title='An Expedition to Heal the Wounds of War ' The 1919 Eclipse and Eddington as Quaker Adventurer|url=https : //www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/376099|journal=Isis|volume=94|issue=1|pages=57–89|doi=10.1086/376099|pmid=12725104|bibcode=2003Isis ... 94 ... 57S|s2cid=25615643|issn=0021-1753|access-date=2020-10-22|archive-date=2020-08-05|archive-url=https : //web.archive.org/web/20200805053416/https : //www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/376099|url-status=live } } < /ref > During the [ [ solar eclipse ] ] , the English [ [ astronomer ] ] and physicist [ [ Arthur Eddington ] ] observed that the light from stars passing close to the Sun was bent . The effect is due to the gravitational attraction of light by the Sun . The observation confirmed that the energy carried by light indeed is equivalent to a gravitational mass . Another seminal experiment , the [ [ Pound–Rebka experiment ] ] , was performed in 1960. < ref > { { Cite journal|last1=Pound|first1=R . V.|last2=Rebka|first2=G . A.|date=1960-04-01|title=Apparent Weight of Photons|journal=Physical Review Letters|language=en|volume=4|issue=7|pages=337–341|doi=10.1103/PhysRevLett.4.337|bibcode=1960PhRvL ... 4..337P|issn=0031-9007|doi-access=free } } < /ref > In this test a beam of light was emitted from the top of a tower and detected at the bottom . The [ [ frequency ] ] of the light detected was higher than the light emitted . This result confirms that the energy of photons increases when they fall in the gravitational field of the Earth . The energy , and therefore the gravitational mass , of photons is proportional to their frequency as stated by the Planck 's relation .

==Efficiency==

In some reactions , matter particles can be destroyed and their associated energy released to the environment as other forms of energy , such as light and heat. < ref name=Serway1217 / > One example of such a conversion takes place in elementary particle interactions , where the rest energy is transformed into kinetic energy. < ref name=Serway1217 / > Such conversions between types of energy happen in nuclear weapons , in which the protons and neutrons in [ [ atomic nuclei ] ] lose a small fraction of their original mass , though the mass lost is not due to the destruction of any smaller constituents . [ [ Nuclear fission ] ] allows a tiny fraction of the energy associated with the mass to be converted into usable energy such as radiation ; in the decay of the [ [ uranium ] ] , for instance , about 0.1 % of the mass of the original atom is lost. < ref name= '' bulletin1950 '' > { { Cite journal|last=Bethe|first=Hans A.|date=1950-04-01|title=The Hydrogen Bomb|url=https : //doi.org/10.1080/00963402.1950.11461231|journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists|volume=6|issue=4|pages=99–104|doi=10.1080/00963402.1950.11461231|bibcode=1950BuAtS ... 6d..99B|issn=0096-3402 } } < /ref > In theory , it should be possible to destroy matter and convert all of the rest-energy associated with matter into heat and light , but none of the theoretically known methods are practical . One way to harness all the energy associated with mass is to annihilate matter with [ [ antimatter ] ] . [ [ baryon asymmetry|Antimatter is rare in our universe ] ] , however , and the known mechanisms of production require more usable energy than would be released in annihilation . [ [ CERN ] ] estimated in 2011 that over a billion times more energy is required to make and store