Intuition about most famous Einstein’s formula

Context

Probably the most famous equation - energy of particles at rest. Particle can be ball, bell, bolt, body, atom - anything with mass on macro and micro scales. Do we really understand its meaning? What is the “energy at rest?” Why something can have energy while resting?

Note: moving particles must include kinetic energy component (energy of motion).

Important: this is interpretation of the physics that may or may not be correct. Even if not precisely correct, still very intuitive toward the real physics.

Why weight is not matter

Weight is the Newtonian (if Newtonian then consequently Einstein’s)?gravitational force of the Earth on a particle. Higher gravitation - higher weight. No gravitation - weightless.?

Mass in contrast is invariant - the same on the Earth, in vacuum, near a black hole horizon and any other place in the Universe. It characterised by different raised effects - internal energy of bounded box, source of gravitational field, acceleration resistance and other. Just wait for explanation.?

Why light is not matter

It’s a trick liked by theoretical physicist - change scale (measurement units) to make constant equal to 1 - so called “identity operator” that doesn’t change multiplication nor division. Then eliminate constants in a new units from equation.

As example lets check unit of measurement “one bike speed”. Then other speeds in such unit will be as following:

• Km/h speed = 1/30 bike speed
• Human speed = 1/6 bike speed?
• Bike speed = 1 bike speed
• Car speed = 3 bike speeds

So by changing units of measurement it is possible to say that speed of bike is 1.?Doing the same trick with the speed of light we get c2=1 in the light speed units.

Energy is matter

Using “light speed units” equation is transformed to equality - energy is the mass:

E=m

Or better to say matter is the form of energy (energy effect):

m=E

Why?

This is where physical conversation stops completely. The following explanation is a metaphorical model showing how intrinsic dynamics (energy) can produce extrinsic effects (shape and mass) on a large scale, combining together seems to be uncorrelated characteristics.

Imagine a small ball on a rope, the opposite end of which is anchored in space. Lets assume such construction can be built in our imaginary world. Now give the ball high boost and let it move chaotically. A couple more assumptions are used here: 1) rope is super strong, 2) system is energy efficient - no friction, heating and other losses.

Observing such an object on a large scale it will look like a sphere with radius of rope length. If ball is energetic enough, this sphere will be solid (meaning we can touch it) and has effects similar to mass.

Having such frame in the mind, it is much easier to imagine that matter can be large-scale effect of internal dynamic processes characterized by energy - energy does not answer what the processes, instead it exposes how intense these processes are. And a modern physical candidate?for explaining processes that generate masses (and other physical particles, including graviton) is the String Theory.

No mass, no energy??

This would destroy the world we know. Instead, expand by the following statement - massless particles are moving at the speed of light.

Massless particle energy = zero energy at rest + kinetic energy of moving at speed of light.

Why mass is the source of gravitational field??

The answer is extremely simple - there is no answer yet. Newton revolutionized physics by showing how two masses interact gravitationally. Einstein made himself the undisputed genius in the world by creating a theory of the gravitational field in terms of Energy-Momentum tensor and space-time curvature correspondence.

However, these are effects. Still not explaining what physical principles generate these effects - what is special about mass and what can be curved in space (vacuum) by interacting with the mass.

PS: Why Higgs boson is not the mass?

It is widely believed Higgs imparts masses to particles. Not really. Or really not. Higgs gives massive particles interaction with a vacuum at acceleration. Whereas mass is still energy in or out of the Higgs field.?

Watch this great video lecture:

Leonard Susskind “Demystifying the Higgs Boson”