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E=mc2 -
In physics, E = mc2 is an important and well-known equation, which states an equivalence between energy (E) and mass (m), in direct proportion to the square of the speed of light in a vacuum (c2). Several definitions of mass in special relativity may be validly used with this equation.
The equation was first derived (in a slightly different formulation) in 1905 by Albert Einstein, in what are known as his Annus Mirabilis ("Wonderful year") Papers. In these, he showed that a unified four-dimensional model of space and time ("spacetime") could accurately describe observable phenomena in a way that was consistent with Galileo's Principle of Relativity, but also accounted for the constant speed of light. His special theory of relativity ultimately showed that the traditional (Euclidean-Galilean) assumption of absolute time and distance was incorrect, and, as a consequence, that mass and energy are different only in form.
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