1. What is the Mass from Energy Calculator?

Definition: This calculator computes the equivalent mass from energy using Einstein's famous mass-energy equivalence formula.

Purpose: It demonstrates the relationship between mass and energy, fundamental to modern physics and nuclear energy calculations.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Einstein's equation:

Where:

• \( m \) — Mass (kilograms)
• \( E \) — Energy (Joules)
• \( c \) — Speed of light (meters/second)

Explanation: The equation shows that energy and mass are interchangeable, with the speed of light squared as the conversion factor.

3. Importance of Mass-Energy Equivalence

Details: This principle is the basis for nuclear power, understanding stellar energy production, and fundamental physics concepts.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the energy in Joules and the speed of light (default 300,000,000 m/s). The speed of light value can be adjusted for educational purposes.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Why is the speed of light squared in the equation?
A: The squared term comes from the derivation of the equation and represents the enormous energy contained in mass.

Q2: What's a practical example of this calculation?
A: 1 kg of mass is equivalent to about 90 petajoules (9×10¹⁶ J) of energy.

Q3: Why are the mass results so small for typical energy inputs?
A: Because c² is an extremely large number (9×10¹⁶ m²/s²), making the mass equivalent very small for ordinary energy amounts.

Q4: Can I change the speed of light value?
A: For actual physics calculations, keep it at 3×10⁸ m/s. Changing it demonstrates how the relationship would work in hypothetical universes with different light speeds.

Q5: How is this used in nuclear reactions?
A: In nuclear fission/fusion, the small mass difference between reactants and products converts to enormous energy via E=mc².