Q. Show the Relationship between matter and energy?
Ans.
Albert Einstein described an intricate relationship between matter and energy. It is summarized in the famous formula:
E = MC2
In this equation, E is energy in Joules (J)
M is mass in kilograms (Kg)
And c is the speed of light: 3.00x108 meters per second (m/s).
This formula is pretty profound! After all, Einstein was a pretty smart guy. It relates two quantities that seem to be completely separate. This formula says that matter can be turned into energy and energy can be converted into matter. Weird.
When radioactive materials undergo nuclear decay, they lose mass. Here's an analogy to help you remember. When you break a piece of bread, you loose mass due to crumbs. When a nucleus breaks apart, it also loses mass. This mass is then converted into lots of energy.
We can use the famous Einstein equation to see how much energy is released when radioactive materials undergo nuclear change. Figure out how much mass is missing. The missing mass has become energy. Convert mass to energy by using Einstein's formula.