E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation

This is the first book I have ever read that explains the equation E=MC2 without giving a mathematical explanation, meaning literally anyone can understand it completely. The book is interesting and provides a superb understanding of what the true significance of that powerful equation is and the supreme precience, intelligence and independence of Einstein when he thought of it in 1905.My only critical comments about the book are on page 161 where he said of President Truman's advisor Jimmy Byrnes: "It was Byrnes who ensured that the clause protecting the emperor (Hirohito of Japan) which might mollify Japanese opponents of a settlement-was taken out." There is a book by Herbert P. Bix, HIROHITO AND THE MAKING OF MODERN JAPAN and Mr. Bodanis' reference to Jimmy Byrnes is never mentioned. That book is probably one of the best researched books ever written. Said another way, Mr. Bodanis states the two nuclear bombs droped on Japan during the final days of the Second World War should never have been droped and it was Byrnes' fault for refusing to mollify the Japanese that they were dropped. Read HIROHITO AND THE MAKING OF MODERN JAPAN it was far more complicated than Mr. Bodanis' canned liberal view.Having said that, however, I literally could not put this book down. I wanted to find out as much as I could in about the equation and its development. The book is very easy and quick to read even though one might think a book about an equation could be otherwise.If you want to really understand what our universe is about and how all matter comes into being, read this book. Even those of you that have zero-point-zero understanding of science and math (me), this book has the uncanny ability to describe everything with extreme clarity. I wish Mr. Bodanis would write a similar book about Quantum Mechanics!!

Amazing story of the discovery and then application of the most powerful equation the world has known. Beautifully written by David Bodanis the book provides very good scientific understanding to the educated layman but also presents in a way that makes it difficult to put down. The chapter on the microsecond by microsecond events when the first atomic bomb were dropped are truly frightening. The chapter on Lise Meitner and her nephew on holiday in Sweeden discovering nuclear fission was a true detective story. The final chapter (Where are they now) gave some happy and sad stories to the many characters of the book. Some who did so much but may not have received credit due to their unconventional education (Faraday), gender (Payne, Meitner) or skin color (Chandrasekhar) begin to get their deserved credit. Finally, the man at the center of it all who unwillingly became a popular icon spent much of his later years trying to live up to his earlier scientific fame from the special and general theories of relativity. The book has so much more in it but I believe I will need to read it again as it contains so much!

Bodanis has written a fun-to-read and concise guide outlining the history and impact of the world's most famous equation. He opens with an inspired conceit: Cameron Diaz once said, quite seriously, that she wish she knew what the equation meant, and he wrote this book for the curious, intelligent reader who, like Diaz, has little or no background (or even interest) in science and wants to understand Einstein's discovery.Any book about physics and math that has such an audience in mind risks--indeed, requires--oversimplification. The prose is often so folksy that those of us used to reading more scholarly material will find it a bit annoying, yet even these passages show that the author is truly enjoying his material and wants to convey that enjoyment to his readers. Similarly, nitpickers are sure to have a field day finding inaccuracies and omissions. For example, Bodanis states that an object swells, or gains mass, as its speed approaches the speed of light; in a very lengthy note he admits that this description is only metaphor (and a misleading one at that). Yet, if he had avoided this metaphor and included the more accurate description contained in the note, he certainly would have lost his audience. In this case, I think, Bodanis has made the right decision: a vague or incomplete understanding is certainly better than no understanding at all.In spite of its intentional simplicity, the book relates a number of interesting biographical tidbits that were unfamiliar to me, particularly about Voltaire's lover, Emile du Chatelet, and the unjustly neglected Lise Meitner, who, by fleeing Nazi Germany, was ultimately robbed of a Nobel Prize. Bodanis makes science, with its back-stabbing egos and generous celebrities, come alive. In addition, unlike many other histories of science, Bodanis does not overlook the importance of religious beliefs in stimulating (and occasionally blinding) scientists, especially Faraday and Einstein.This book also contains a much-needed and concise answer to Heisenberg's apologists. Make no mistake: Heisenberg was a brilliant scientist and he clearly realized later in life that he was on the wrong side, but it seems incontrovertible that he collaborated with the Nazis. The book to read, as Bodanis notes, is "Hitler's Uranium Club"; its transcripts of secret recordings of Heisenberg's own words belie his later claim that he was trying to thwart the Nazi attempt to create the bomb. Bodanis's appendix includes a sample of the overwhelming and irrefutable evidence against Heisenberg. (Heisenberg's sympathizers often praise "Copenhagen." This play, by Michael Frayn, describes a meeting between Heisenberg and Neil Bohrs that both men recalled years later in conflicting accounts, and it consists entirely of imagined dialogue. Although an indisputably brilliant dramatic work, "Copenhagen" is in essence a work of fiction, since nobody knows for sure what was said or even why the two men really met--as Frayn himself notes in his postscript to the published play. In addition, "Copenhagen" is based on Thomas Powers's biography of Heisenberg, which appeared before the publication of "Hitler's Uranium Club.")These stories, details, and debates are just a small part of the wealth of information David Bodanis has managed to pack into a slim volume. The appendix, notes, and suggestions for further reading, which amounts to a full third of the book, are not to be missed: not only do they clarify many points covered cursorily in the text, but they are often quite amusing and will surely spur readers to investigate further a number of topics.

i have been a long time fan of bodanis's entertaining way of exposing (i.e. the human body or the garden) the mundane in novel ways; this time around, he exposes the abstract in a marvelously mundane way. i finally understand the basics of e=mc2. i thank him so much. this book is a gem of a biography of the equation that we know but don't know. physics and the scientists behind the formulation come to life in exciting, vivid, anecdotal ways. i simply didn't want this book to end. now, can we ever really say that about other books on physics and science? i haven't taken a calculus class in 25 years, but i was able to follow the reasoning and narrative flow with great ease. the hard stuff is thoughtfully stuck in the back in an appendix that is almost one half the length of the main section. bodanis has cracked this subject matter with perfect skill. and yes, i felt energized reading this book. hence, einstein's equation lives in yet another dimension!

Very readable and hard to put down. Amazing how many pompous and self-absorbed people have held back knowledge due to their own hubris. My only negative comment is the strange use of italics which seem to emphasise the wrong words throughout the book. Just slightly jarring. Otherwise, a great read,.

An amazing book. Very good to understand the meaning of the equation and the applications it has in many fields of science.

Loved this book.

It is one of the most fascinating books (popular science) I have read. I have gifted this book to six of my friends.

One of the best books on Science. It is like a thriller. Thank you Mr. David Bodanis, you are awesome 😘