Of Nuclear and Particle Physics Form

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E=mc^2 You hear it all the time. But what does it mean? During his study of special relativity, Albert Einstein found that mass and energy are equivalent, and that they can be converted back and forth between one another. He described that relationship mathematically, saying that the energy of a particle is equal to its mass, times the speed of light squared. This mass-energy equivalence is critical to the study of nuclear physics – the study of the atomic nucleus. This is a branch of physics that introduces you to two of the four fundamental forces. One in which an element can turn into an entirely different element, in just an instant. And one that has allowed us to unleash the incredible energy that’s contained inside every atom. [Theme Music] Before we can dive into the wonders of nuclear physics, we need to recall a little bit about the thing that makes it all tick: the nucleus! The nucleus of any atom consists of protons and neutrons. The proton is positively charged, while t