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E=mc^2 is a consequence from special relativity, not a theoretical framework. It also has very little to do with the understand of nuclear reactions. The reason
by fsh 6y ago
E=mc^2 is a consequence from special relativity, not a theoretical framework. It also has very little to do with the understand of nuclear reactions. The reason why nuclear reactions release much more energy than chemical reactions is that the binding energies inside the nucleus are much larger than inside the electron shell. Mass-energy equivalence exists in both cases.
- pfdietz 6y agoIndeed. And in a Newtonian universe, it's possible that something like nuclear fusion could exist that would liberate much more than mc^2. There would be no upper limit on nuclear reaction energies set by the total rest energy of the reactants.