E=mc2

E=mc2, formula that relates mass (matter) and energy. Albert Einstein announced the formula in 1905, and it laid the basis for the application of nuclear energy. Ε stands for energy, m stands for mass, and c is a constant factor equal to the velocity of light. The formula states that large quantities of energy can result from tiny amounts of mass, if that mass is completely transformed into energy. In the 1930s scientists found a way to split the atoms of certain heavy elements into atoms of lighter elements. Reasoning that the lost mass turned into energy, they were able to use E=mc² to calculate the amount of mass changed into energy.