Why E=mc² is wrong

The most famous equation in all of science is Einstein’s E = mc2, but it is also frequently horribly misunderstood and misused. In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln explains the real truth about this equation and how people often use it wrong.

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[mickmccrory]

I liked his comment... "In math, your formula can go to infinity. In Physics, that usually means you're wrong."

[SquirrelASMR]

Omg that inbox is hilarious. Especially the timestamp frequency and the Nigerian prince email. 😂

[alexxhoughtaling]

Before I watch this, E=mc^2 only applies to objects at rest, you would need to include the Lorentz factor to apply this to all objects due to the fact mass expands as it approaches the speed of light

[psychobill]

"I don't want my inbox to explode because I said e=mc2 is wrong" tittles video "e=mc2 is wrong"

[ryostyles]

In short, it's not wrong, it's a special case and it can be made better with therefore resulting in those 2 equations.

[lsporter]

That's a much appreciated clarification. Superb presentation.

[spelunkerd]

It's been a few years since my course in special relativity. You managed to hit almost all of the highlights in a 6 minute review. Bravo!

[tobiastriesch]

The background music when E=mc^2 appeared the first time made me laugh - well done editor!

[acrobaticcripple]

Oh how I wish I'd been taught by patient teachers. I love this stuff, but have no grounding in mathematics. I'm 72 now and have so many other things to do before kicking it. (The bucket)

[kalyannatarajan]

Awesomely well explained and a classic example of how clickbait CAN BE IMPORTANT when used correctly to dispel myths….👏👏👏

[ivanleon]

I wish you guys posted every week! Love your content!

[xan]

E=mc2
Aka
Einstein married cousin twice

[mr.strange]

E.C.G. Sudharshan of India 🇮🇳, he was a first man in the world, who proves that *Einstein theory is wrong* . He says that *Tachyeons are the particles which is Faster than light*

[rodrigo]

No, the title is not a clickbait. It is a 6 min video, so there is more to it, much more. Beside E=mc^2 is as correct as a broken clock is correct, I can suggest reading some of L. B. Okun papers for more clarification: "The Virus of Relativistic Mass in the Year of Physics" for example.

[kshitijsharma]

The title should have been- "understanding the true meaning of E=MC^2" but what you did was clickbait

[andrew]

It would be nice to have an explanation of what momentum of a massless particle means since laymen define momentum in terms of mass and velocity.

[kevinjohnston]

So basically it's really Pythagorean Theorem with side lengths pc and mc^2, and of course hypotenuse E.

[benhall]

I'm patiently waiting for more videos from Dr. Don!!

[SpaghettiToaster]

It's important to note that in the general formula in this video, momentum doesn't mean the familiar m×v, because light has no mass. In this case, p=h/λ. I think it would be good to cover this fact and an explanation in a follow-up video in order for these equations to really make sense. I think right now it's confusing to people because the video explains how
E = γmc^2 doesn't make sense for massless particles, but offers as an alternative E = pc, which the same people who thought E = mc^2 would apply might think means E = mvc, which obviously doesn't make sense either.

[Narokkurai]

I like to think that you were joking when you showed an inbox full of emails like "RELATIVITY IS AN ILLUMINATI CONSPIRACY!" but I know too much about the internet.