<P> In physics, mass--energy equivalence states that anything having mass has an equivalent amount of energy and vice versa, with these fundamental quantities directly relating to one another by Albert Einstein's famous formula: </P> <P> E = m c 2 (\ textstyle E = mc ^ (2)) </P> <P> This formula states that the equivalent energy (E) can be calculated as the mass (m) multiplied by the speed of light (c = about 7008300000000000000 ♠ 3 × 10 m / s) squared . Similarly, anything having energy exhibits a corresponding mass m given by its energy E divided by the speed of light squared c2 . Because the speed of light is a very large number in everyday units, the formula implies that even an everyday object at rest with a modest amount of mass has a very large amount of energy intrinsically . Chemical, nuclear, and other energy transformations may cause a system to lose some of its energy content (and thus some corresponding mass), releasing it as the radiant energy of light or as thermal energy for example . </P> <P> Mass--energy equivalence arose originally from special relativity as a paradox described by Henri Poincaré . Einstein proposed it on 21 November 1905, in the paper Does the inertia of a body depend upon its energy - content?, one of his Annus Mirabilis (Miraculous Year) papers . Einstein was the first to propose that the equivalence of mass and energy is a general principle and a consequence of the symmetries of space and time . </P>

What is the meaning of e equals mc square