E=mc2

Generations have grown up knowing the equation E=mc2 and that it changed the shape of our world but never understood what it actually means and why it is so significant. In his new book, David Bodanis writes the “biography” of one of the greatest scientific discoveries in history, and through his skill as a writer and teacher, he turns a seemingly impenetrable theory into a dramatic and accessible human achievment.Bodanis begins by devoting elegant chapters to each of the equation’s letters and symbols, introducing the science and scientists forming the backdrop to Einstein’s 1905 discovery. Having demystified the equation, Bodanis explains it mathematically and brings it to life scientifically and historically, making clear the astonishing array of discoveries and consequences it made possible – from the splitting of the atom to a television’s cathode ray tube to the carbon dating of prehistoric paintings.At first, Einstein was unsure of what he had accomplished. “The argument is amusing and seductive,” he wrote to a friend, “but for all I know, the Lord may be laughing over it and leading me down the garden path.” In fact, Einstein did nothing less than open the door to the inner structure of the universe. In David Bodanis’s skilled hands, that achievement is an uncommonly good story.

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