The relationship between matter and energy is given, according to the theory of relativity, by the speed of light. Albert Einstein was the pioneer in proposing this hypothesis in 1905. Einstein's relativistic theory relates matter and energy through the following equation: E = M x C 2; where E: Energy, M: Mass and C: speed of light, the latter has an estimated value of 300,000,000 m / s.
According to Einstein's formula, the equivalent energy (E) can be calculated by multiplying the mass (m) of a body by the speed of light squared. In turn, the speed of light squared is equal to 9 x 10 16 m / s, which implies that the relationship between mass and energy is proportional to an extremely high multiplication factor.
The variation in the mass of a body is directly proportional to the energy emanating from the conversion process, and inversely proportional to the square of the speed of light.
Since the speed of light is given by a number of several digits, Einstein's formula states that although it is an object with a small mass at rest, it has a significant amount of energy under its belt.
This transformation occurs in a very unbalanced proportion: for 1 kg of matter that is transformed into another state, 9 x 10 16 Joules of energy are obtained. This is the principle of operation of nuclear power plants and atomic bombs.
This type of transformation makes it possible for a system to carry out an energy conversion process in which part of the intrinsic energy of the body changes in the form of thermal energy or radiant light. This process, in turn, also involves a loss of mass.
For example, during nuclear fission, in which the nucleus of a heavy element (such as uranium) is divided into two fragments of less total mass, the difference in mass is released to the outside in the form of energy.
The alteration of the mass is important at the atomic level, this shows that matter is not an unalterable quality of the body, and that therefore matter "can disappear" when released to the outside in the form of energy.
According to these physical principles, mass increases as a function of the speed with which a particle moves. Hence the concept of relativistic mass.
If an element is in motion, a difference is generated between the initial energy value (energy at rest) and the energy value it possesses while the body is in motion.
Likewise, given Einstein's relativistic theory, a variation is also generated in the mass of the body: the mass of the body in motion is greater than the mass of the body when it was at rest.
The mass of the body at rest is also called intrinsic or invariant mass, since it does not change its value, not even under extreme conditions.
Matter is the material substance that constitutes the totality of the observable universe and, together with energy, both elements constitute the basis of all physical phenomena.
The relationship between matter and energy, expressed in Einstein's theory of relativity, lays the foundations of modern physics at the beginning of the 20th century.
References
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- Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (2017). Matter. London England. Recovered from: britannica.com.
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- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Equivalence between mass and energy. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.