Review: History of famous Einstein equation an energetic read

"E = mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation"
By David Bodanis
Walker & Co.
Nonfiction/Science
224 pages

In this story: 'A very interesting conclusion' Clear examples RELATED STORIES, SITES

By L.D. Meagher
Special to CNN Interactive

(CNN) -- It has been widely repeated that only a dozen people alive truly understand Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. It's also widely believed that the theory is embodied in the equation E = mc2 (the "2" is actually a superscript, and the equation should be read "E equals m c squared). The common wisdom on both counts is wrong. Science writer and lecturer David Bodanis illustrates just how wrong in his new book "E = mc2."

Structured as "A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation," "E = mc2" is a lively account of how Einstein arrived at his insights on the relationship between energy and matter. In the process, Bodanis provides a brisk overview of how the science of physics developed during the three hundred years leading up to the statement of the equation. That may sound like rather dry stuff. But Bodanis makes it vivid, even chatty. His examples include Michael Faraday's religious convictions, Voltaire's love life, and the effects of the French Revolution on one particular researcher.

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Excerpt: 'E = mc2'

There's a chapter devoted to each symbol in the equation, even the "equals" sign. The terms and their origins thus become easily understandable and form a context for Einstein's revelation.

Take energy, for instance.

"The Victorians," Bodanis writes, "had thought they'd found all possible sources of energy there were: chemical energy, heat energy, magnetic energy, and the rest. But by 1905 Einstein could say, No, there is another place you can look where you'll find more. His equation was like a telescope to lead there, but the hiding place wasn't far away in outer space. It was down here -- it had been right in front of his predecessors all along. He found this vast energy source in the one place where no one had thought of looking for it. It was hidden away in solid matter itself."

In the period of just a few months, Einstein published two scientific papers that changed the way we look at the universe around us. The first contained his initial theory of relativity (known as "special relativity"). The second, published shortly thereafter, was a brief addendum explaining what he called "a very interesting conclusion" that grew out of his original paper. That conclusion was E = mc2. While the equation is inextricably linked to the theory, it is not the theory itself.

Bodanis offers clear and often provocative examples and thought experiments to demonstrate what the equation means and its ramifications. His description of how a light wave operates, for instance, helps the reader understand why "c," the speed of light, is the cosmic speed limit. His anecdotes about the life of Einstein, as well as his predecessors and successors, enliven the narrative while unraveling the threads that have woven E = mc2 into the fabric of our lives.

At the dawn of our universe, the relationships described in the equation powered the Big Bang and ignited the stars. "Fast forward several billion years," the author tells us, "and mobile chunks of carbon atoms emerged (in other words, us!) to wade through low-flying clouds of star-created oxygen, stir caffeine-dense liquids of Big Bang hydrogen atoms, and read about how they came to exist. For we live on a planet where E = mc2 is constantly at work ..."

And, he notes, we have made the equation work for us. The understanding that led to the manufacture of atomic bombs also fueled the development of the Geiger counter, the smoke detector and the computer on which you are reading this review.

E = mc2 is not an incomprehensible abstraction, Bodanis assures us. It is as tangible as sunshine and as easy to understand as a recipe for chocolate cake. Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. The terms of the equation are fairly straightforward and its math is at the level of junior high algebra. The difficulty lies in grasping the bold concept embodied by those five symbols. In "E = mc2," Bodanis illuminates a path toward comprehension, and makes the journey as entertaining as it is enlightening.

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