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Why is the equation E=mc² significant?

The famous equation E=mc² was established in 1905 by German-born physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955). (A physicist is a scientist specializing in the interaction between matter and energy.) The equation is significant because it contributed to the development of nuclear energy and the atomic bomb. In the formula E stands for energy, m stands for mass, and c2 is a symbol called a constant factor, in which c stands for the speed of light and 2 means squared (the factor, or number, is multiplied by itself). This equation illustrates the relationship between energy and matter, as well as their exchangeability. In the 1930s scientists used Einstein's formula and discovered that when the atom is split, part of the atom is transformed into particles but that some is also converted into energy. They calculated the potential...

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