Answer:
Einstein went on to present his findings mathematically: energy (E) equals mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared (2), or E=mc2.
The secret the equation revealed—that mass and energy are different forms of the same thing—had eluded scientists for centuries.
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E=mc2
In Einstein's first paper about energy and mass, E=mc2 doesn't actually appear anywhere—he originally wrote the formula as m=L/c2. What happened? Einstein was using "L" (for Lagrangian, a general form of energy) instead of "E" for energy. Later, he replaced "L" with "E," rearranged the variables, and the famous form of the equation emerged.
The implications of E=mc2 are profound. For centuries, scientists had considered energy and mass to be completely distinct and unrelated to each other. Einstein showed that in fact, energy and mass are different forms of the same thing. Einstein himself was surprised by the finding, calling it "amusing and enticing" and wondered "whether the Lord is laughing at it and has played a trick on me."
