Mass and rest energy
Mass and rest energy
Mass itself is a form of energy. A particle with rest mass m0m_0m0 has rest energy E0=m0c2E_0 = m_0c^2E0=m0c2, where c=3.00×108 m s−1c = 3.00 \times 10^8 \, \text{m s}^{-1}c=3.00×108m s−1. Because c2c^2c2 is huge, a tiny mass change can produce a very large energy change.