Open Thread

Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?

Join Slate’s open thread for the week of November 21.

On this day in 1905, Albert Einstein published the fourth of his annus mirabilis papers in the journal Annalen der Physik. This was the paper that showed mass can be converted into energy, and vice versa. Although the equation is never set out in these terms within this paper, a simple and widely known formulation of the idea, e = mc2, is based on this paper.

You may use this page to discuss relativity and relatives over this holiday week, or engage in other freewheeling, off-topic discourse. Find previous discussions in the Open Thread archive. Excepting the entreaty that you remain on topic, all of Slate’s usual commenting policies apply. Happy Thanksgiving!

If you depend on this community and Slate’s journalism, please consider joining Slate Plus. We appreciate your support.

Advertisement