What units is E=MC measured in?

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SUMMARY

The equation E=mc² is universally recognized in physics, where E represents energy measured in joules (J), m represents mass measured in kilograms (kg), and c represents the speed of light measured in meters per second (m/s). While the standard SI units are preferred for clarity, alternative units such as electron volts (eV) for energy and eV/c² for mass can also be utilized, particularly in particle physics. It is crucial to maintain consistency in the units used; otherwise, an additional proportionality constant is required to ensure accurate calculations.

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  • Understanding of the equation E=mc²
  • Familiarity with SI units: joules (J), kilograms (kg), meters per second (m/s)
  • Knowledge of alternative units in particle physics, such as electron volts (eV)
  • Basic principles of dimensional analysis in physics
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  • Research the implications of using natural units in physics
  • Learn about the conversion between SI units and other measurement systems
  • Explore the significance of proportionality constants in unit conversions
  • Investigate the applications of E=mc² in modern physics and cosmology
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Students of physics, educators, and professionals in scientific fields who seek a deeper understanding of energy-mass equivalence and unit conversions in various measurement systems.

scupydog
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Hi all could anyone tell me what units are used in the equation E=MC.

Thx, Dave.
 
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J, kg, m/s
 
Last edited:
but the equation is wrong.. E = mc^2 it should be ;-)
 
scupydog said:
Hi all could anyone tell me what units are used in the equation E=MC
E is in units of energy, m in units of mass, and c in units of speed. mgb_phys already gave the standard SI units, but you can use any units that you prefer. For particle physics they often use eV (electron volts) for E and eV/c² for m and, uhh, c for c.
 
DaleSpam said:
but you can use any units that you prefer.
As long as the energy is in the natural units for the speed and mass - otherwise you need another proportionality constant.

That does mean the the "firkin furlong2 fortnight-2" is a natural unit of energy.
 
mgb_phys said:
J, m, m/s

what does the m for stand for ?

malawi_glenn said:
but the equation is wrong.. E = mc^2 it should be ;-)

sry that's what i should have typed.
 
scupydog said:
what does the m for stand for ?
sry that's what i should have typed.

Sorry I meant to type kg for mass
As DaleSpam said you can use any units you want for mass and speed but then the units of energy come out as the natural units for that measuerement system.
With SI (metric) it's easier, you could use lbs for the mass, mph for the speed of light and BTU for the energy but you would need another constant in front of the m to get the value right - it just happens that for kg / m / s the constant is 1.
 

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