§ Quantized History #27

§ ≡ A quantum of Quantized History { #26 « #27 » T•of•C }

April 11, 1905 » Albert Einstein reveals his Theory of Special Relativity

E = mc²

Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in inertial frames of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein. This theory predicts the equivalence of matter and energy, E = mc², where E is the equivalent energy of a mass of matter, m, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum. Special relativity reveals that c is not just the speed of a certain phenomenon — namely the propagation of electromagnetic radiation — but rather a fundamental feature of the way space and time are unified as spacetime. This theory is termed "special" because it applies the principle of relativity only to frames of reference in uniform relative motion with respect to each other. Einstein also developed general relativity (1915) to apply the principle to any frame, and general relativity includes the effects of gravity.

Albert Einstein's "Miracle Year" (1905) Papers:

1. Photoelectric effect: In 1921 Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."
2. Brownian motion: It provided empirical evidence for the reality of the atom, and lent credence to statistical mechanics.
3. Special relativity: The paper mentions the names of only five other scientists — Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Heinrich Hertz, Christian Doppler, and Hendrik Lorentz. It has no references to any other publications!
4. Matter and energy equivalence: E = mc²

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