Thread: E=MC^2
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Old 12-22-2004, 07:52 AM   #18 (permalink)
fckm
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Location: Ithaca, New York
I'm pretty sure E=mc^2 does apply in all situations.
I'm aware that mass isn't matter. The standard model is pretty incomplete, but I take matter to mean any combination of the elemetary particles.
My point is that "Energy" doesn't exist outside of interactions between "matter". The term "pure energy" isn't part of a physicist's vocabulary.
Why is mc^2 considered energy? Because mathematically, it must be taken into account to comply with energy conservation. "Energy" is a term that is used to describe a specific property of some object; it's a mathematically useful tool in calculating the interactions between objects. E=mc^2 is simply Einstein's revelation that to achieve energy conservation, you have to take into account the object's rest mass when undergoing a lorentz transformation.
Thus, in my oppinion, it doesn't make any sense to have a being of "pure energy". The term is not scientifically valid.

EDIT: i see that stingc is replying to Lebell. oops
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