Einstein's Mass-Energy Equation, Volume I : Early History and Philosophical Foundations (Energy Physics and Engineering Collection)

In volume one of Einstein's Mass-Energy Equation, the authors examine the history and philosophical significance of several demonstrations Einstein published for his mass-energy relation, which is often expressed by the iconic equation E = mc2. Their goal is to illustrate how these demonstrations display a clear shift away from a reliance on electromagnetic phenomena culminating in Einstein's 1934 purely dynamic demonstration. Philosophically, this trend signals the importance of recognizing special relativity as what Einstein called a principle theor. Volume two of this work examines the role that Einstein's mass-energy relation played in the development of quantum mechanics and general relativity. The authors also discuss the first empirical confirmation of E = mc2 and some contemporary debates concerning the philosophical interpretation of this important result.