Emc2 A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation [Paperback]

Already climbing the bestseller lists-and garnering rave reviews—this little masterpiece sheds brilliant light on the equation that changed the world.

Bodanis begins by devoting chapters to each of the equation's letters and symbols, introducing the science and scientists forming the backdrop to Einstein's discovery—from Ole Roemer's revelation that the speed of light could be measured to Michael Faraday's pioneering work on energy fields. Having demystified the equation, Bodanis explains its science and brings it to life historically, making clear the astonishing array of discoveries and consequences it made possible. It would prove to be a beacon throughout the twentieth century, important to Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the structure of the atom, Enrico Fermi, who probed the nucleus, and Lise Meitner, who finally understood how atoms could be split wide open. And it has come to inform our daily lives, governing everything from the atomic bomb to a television's cathode-ray tube to the carbon dating of prehistoric paintings.

Preface
Part 1: Birth
1. Bern Patent Office, 1905
Part 2: Ancestors of E=mc²
2. E is for Energy
3. =
4. m Is for mass
5. c Is for celeritas
6. ²
Part 3: The Early Years
7. Einstein and the Equation
8. Into the Atom
9. Quiet in the Midday Snow
Part 4: Adulthood
10. Germany's Turn
11. Norway
12. America's Turn
13. 8:16 AM - Over Japan
Part 5: Til the End of Time
14. The Fires of the Sun
15. Creating the Earth
16. A Brahmin Lifts His Eyes Unto the Sky
Epilogue: What Else Einstein Did
Appendix: Follow-Up of Other Key Participants
Notes
Guide to Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index This is not a physics book. It is a history of where the equation [E=mc2] came from and how it has changed the world. After a short chapter on the equation's birth, Bodanis presents its five symbolic ancestors in sequl3\