Reflection+of+E=MC^2

REFLECTION OF E=MC²

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===E=MC² is a movie about how Albert Einstein managed to come up with the theory of energy = mass × speed of light squared, where E is Energy, M is Mass, C is speed of light (celeritas), and ² is squared. When you watch the movie it’s not all about Einstein, but it’s about all of his influences/ scientific theories that led him to this equation. First, there is Michael Faraday, who put together magnetism, motion, and electricity. When Faraday found out you could use an electric wire (with a current) to turn a compass needle, he was intrigued, so he set up an experiment to explain why this happened. His experiment was basically a copper wire hanging over a bowl of liquid mercury with a magnet at the bottom. When he charged the copper wire, the wire rotated around the magnet, showing that magnetism and electricity DID, in fact, have effects on each other. His experiment was science-changing; he had actually created the basis for the future electric motor! === === Einstein’s next influence was Lavoisier, who created the theory of “conservation of mass” in which mass can never be created or destroyed. Lavoisier did an experiment where he had a certain amount of water, and put it through a iron barrel over hot coals. Then, he weighed the steam that came out the other end, and found that it was the exact same amount! This showed that matter can change form, and move around, but cannot burst out of existence. === === The third influence shown in the movie is Emily Du Chatelet, who discovered the ² part of speed of light². Emily was very interested in science from a very young age, and when she grew up she had many affairs, but all with men who were also very interested in science. The most important affair, it seemed, was to a man name Voltaire who was a writer- but very interested in science. Emily and Voltaire turned Emily’s husband’s mansion into a base of their research, with a small theatre, and a huge library. Then, they began research to find out “What is energy”. Voltaire believed it was just like what Newton had discovered: E=mv (Energy=massxvelocity). However, Emily believed Leibniz’s theory, a man who believed that E=mv². So, as the movie showed, Emily did an experiment in which she dropped 2 marbles into a block of clay. You could see when she cut the clay that the clay with the lighter mass had fallen 1/4 of the way the marble with the larger mass. Meaning that instead of E=mv, which would mean that the heavier marble would've fallen twice as far, was incorrect. And the theory E=mv², meaning that the heavier marble would fall 2² (4) times farther was correct! ===