Random Daily Banter

[PurplePenguin]

The comment was that Einstein didn't originally write that equation in that form, and (IIRC) there was a little more to what the symbols represented (evident from his commentary) than the 'simple' version suggests.

I asked Gemini, and this sounds like the very brief end-of-barbecue summary (which came after a discussion of how "I'm completely stuffed!" would be translated into French, Italian, and German - we never got onto the Serbian translation).

No, Albert Einstein did not write it that way initially. When he first introduced the concept of mass-energy equivalence in 1905, the famous equation $E = mc^2$ did not appear anywhere in his paper.
Instead, his original formulation and the evolution of how he wrote the formula follow a specific timeline:

1. The 1905 Original Formulation​

In his late 1905 paper published in Annalen der Physik, titled "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", Einstein used different notation entirely.
He used $L$ to represent energy (specifically in the form of light radiation) and $V$ to represent the speed of light. He concluded that if a body loses an amount of energy $L$, its mass diminishes by $L / V^2$.
He famously stated the concept in prose rather than a standalone equation:

2. The 1906–1907 Shift​

As Einstein and other physicists (like Max Planck) continued to develop special relativity, the notation began to shift. Einstein started using $E$ for energy and $c$ for the speed of light. However, he still preferred to express the relationship by solving for mass, often writing it as:
$$\Delta m = \frac{\Delta E}{c^2}$$
To Einstein, the core philosophical breakthrough was that mass is a direct measure of a body's energy content—meaning mass is a secondary, dependent property.

3. When Did He Finally Write $E = mc^2$?​

Einstein did eventually write the equation in its universally recognized form, but it took several years:

• In Manuscript (1912): The earliest known instance of Einstein writing the formula in its familiar form by his own hand appears in a 1912 manuscript on special relativity.
• In Public (1946): He wrote a famous essay for Science Illustrated titled "E = mc²: The Most Urgent Problem of Our Time," completely embracing the popular notation that the public had come to associate with his work following the development of the atomic bomb.

Why Did the Public Version Win?​

The reason $E = mc^2$ became the pop-culture shorthand for physics boils down to aesthetic elegance. Solving for $E$ isolates the energy potential of matter on one side, and multiplying a tiny amount of mass ($m$) by the unfathomably large speed of light squared ($c^2$) perfectly illustrates the terrifyingly massive amount of energy locked inside everyday matter.

That doesn't sound like great bbq chat.

 

[First Aspect]

That doesn't sound like great bbq chat.

It's not the most accessible, but it's no different to artsy fartsy types going on about artsy fartsy things that are too high brow for most people, but do make them feel uncultured and small.

 

[briantrumpet]

It's not the most accessible, but it's no different to artsy fartsy types going on about artsy fartsy things that are too high brow for most people, but do make them feel uncultured and small.

Given that I was the odd one out, being the artsy fartsy one, this is fair, though the retired VC is heavily into rock & pop from the 1970s to present (from what he said, I think his home hifi probably cost more than I have ever earned in a year), so there was a brief tangent onto how academic musicology is still often uncomfortable with music that is not based on notated music.

 

[First Aspect]

Given that I was the odd one out, being the artsy fartsy one, this is fair, though the retired VC is heavily into rock & pop from the 1970s to present (from what he said, I think his home hifi probably cost more than I have ever earned in a year), so there was a brief tangent onto how academic musicology is still often uncomfortable with music that is not based on notated music.

Bit highbrow for me .

 

[briantrumpet]

Bit highbrow for me .

Yes.

 

[PurplePenguin]

It's not the most accessible, but it's no different to artsy fartsy types going on about artsy fartsy things that are too high brow for most people, but do make them feel uncultured and small.

I just think think it is neither high brow nor interesting.

 

[C R]

I just think think it is neither high brow nor interesting.

Spoilsport.

 

[First Aspect]

I just think think it is neither high brow nor interesting.

What do you find interesting? Genuinely struggling to imagine.

 

[Beebo]

He did indeed. Looks like a really varied career in various 'musics'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Batt

My favourite Mike Batt fact is that he wrote the theme tune to Big Break, which was sung by captain sensible.

View: https://youtu.be/nJCOUs_XI5M?si=ND8UKSG7GjTk9Ttr

 

[briantrumpet]

Will you ever let me off? I mean, sky blue, FFS!

But on the plus side, it's a free loan, it's the right size (and keeps me upright, so no strain on the sternum), it's in good nick, and I'm definitely not going to get excited riding it (so hope not to fall off).

Most importantly, I can get to places without walking, taking a train, or driving the car, which will now probably not see any action until October.

Now just to find a sky-blue basket.

 

[briantrumpet]

Teabag-user's decision making process:

Sink? Bin ?? Sink?? Bin??? Sink??? Bin????

Sink, obvs.

 

[First Aspect]

Is that someone who has never had to clean out the biomatter that's leaked out of a bin bag because some twat put wet stuff in it?

 

[Ian H]

Is that someone who has never had to clean out the biomatter that's leaked out of a bin bag because some twat put wet stuff in it?

Biomatter goes in the composting bin. But we solved the problem of teabags with the elegant solution of buying loose tea.

 

[briantrumpet]

Is that someone who has never had to clean out the biomatter that's leaked out of a bin bag because some twat put wet stuff in it?

Wouldn't mind so much if Phantom Teabag Sink Depositors would come back and tidy up their mess a few minutes later. I mean, thankfully dog walkers don't say "I'll come back when my dog's shit has cooled down and doesn't stink quite as much".

 

[First Aspect]

Wouldn't mind so much if Phantom Teabag Sink Depositors would come back and tidy up their mess a few minutes later. I mean, thankfully dog walkers don't say "I'll come back when my dog's shit has cooled down and doesn't stink quite as much".

Neither of these things happen.