E=MC 2

     E=MC 2 ( reads  eee equals em cee squared ) is one of the bits of science and philosophy that has made it into popular culture. The most unlikely people seem to like to argue about it. On a basic level, it is really not difficult to understand. E=MC 2 is a formula, or equation. It describes the relation of mass ( stuff ) to energy. It describes how mass is converted into energy--as it is when we burn a log to produce heat, or use the burning log to fuel a steam engine. The mass of the log is converted into heat when it is burned. This heat may be used to make steam to fuel an engine or generator. Energy is produced from mass in other ways, as when scientists "split" the atom. To Einstein, on some level, an atomic level, all the ways that mass can be converted into energy were the same. We seem to get different levels of energy only because the systems we have invented to produce the energy, or to make use of the energy, are different.