What’s on the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster
The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes.
- The total energy of a body includes a rest energy equal to its mass times c squared.
- E = γmc² · E₀ = mc² · E² = (pc)² + (mc²)²
- 1 kg of anything = 9×10¹⁶ J of rest energy
- Photon = E = pc
- Nuclear fusion = About 0.7% of mass converted
- Common mistake: Saying mass turns into energy → Mass is energy
Most of a proton's mass is not from its quarks. It is binding energy of the strong field — mass from energy, not the reverse.
Questions about the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster
- What’s on the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster?
- The rule, 3 worked examples, and the mistake everyone makes. The total energy of a body includes a rest energy equal to its mass times c squared.; E = γmc² · E₀ = mc² · E² = (pc)² + (mc²)²; 1 kg of anything = 9×10¹⁶ J of rest energy; Photon = E = pc; Nuclear fusion = About 0.7% of mass converted; Common mistake: Saying mass turns into energy → Mass is energy. Most of a proton's mass is not from its quarks. It is binding energy of the strong field — mass from energy, not the reverse.
- Who is the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster for?
- Mass-Energy Equivalence belongs to the Physics section rather than to a school year, because physical science is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning relativity can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
- When should you use the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster?
- Mass is a form of energy. The conversion factor is enormous, which is why it matters. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Mass-Energy Equivalence belongs on the wall where that physical science work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
- What other posters go with Mass-Energy Equivalence?
- Black Holes, Cosmology and General Relativity sit alongside Mass-Energy Equivalence in the Physics section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Black HolesCosmologyGeneral Relativity
- Is the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster free to download and print?
- Yes. Mass-Energy Equivalence downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Physics section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
- What size does the Mass-Energy Equivalence poster print at?
- Mass-Energy Equivalence is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Mass-Energy Equivalence loses nothing.Printing guide
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