13	One thing is absolute Relativity

 

 

 

 

What does it say?

Matter contains energy equal to its mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light.

Why is that important?

The speed of light is huge and its square is absolutely humongous. One kilogram of matter would release about 40% of the energy in the largest nuclear weapon ever exploded. It’s part of a package of equations that changed our view of space, time, matter, and gravity.

What did it lead to?

Radical new physics, definitely. Nuclear weapons. . . well, just maybe – though not as directly or conclusively as the urban myths claim. Black holes, the Big Bang, GPS and satnav.