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

david bodanis ralph l. fowler

Generations have grown up knowing that the equation E=mc2 changed the shape of our world, but never understanding what it actually means, why it was so significant, and how it informs our daily lives todayâ��governing, as it does, everything from the atomic bomb to a televisionâ��s cathode ray tube to the carbon dating of prehistoric paintings. In this book, David Bodanis writes the â��biographyâ�� of one of the greatest scientific discoveries in historyâ��that the realms of energy and matter are inescapably linkedâ��and, through his skill as a writer and teacher, he turns a seemingly impenetrable theory into a dramatic human achievement and an uncommonly good story.

Genres sciencenonfictionhistoryphysicsbiographypopular sciencemathematicshistory of sciencebiography memoirhistorical

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,2000

Literary awards

independent publisher book award (ippy),

This edition

Format: 352 pages, Paperback
Published: January 1, 2000 by Walker and Company
ISBN: 9780802713520
ASIN: B000OB50SC
Language: English

About the author

david bodanis

David Bodanis' latest book THE ART OF FAIRNESS: THE POWER OF DECENCY IN A WORLD TURNED MEAN was published November 2020 and asks the question that has long fascinated David: Can you succeed without being a terrible person? The answer is 'Yes, but you need skill', and the book shows how. I demonstrate those insights through a series of biographies…

David Bodanis is the bestselling author of THE SECRET HOUSE and E=MC2, which was turned into a PBS documentary and a Southbank Award-winning ballet at Sadler's Wells. David also wrote ELECTRIC UNIVERSE, which won the Royal Society Science Book of the Year Prize, and PASSIONATE MINDS, a BBC Book of the Week. Then a return to Einstein and the struggles he went through with EINSTEIN'S GREATEST MISTAKE which was named ‘Science Book of the Year' by the Sunday Times, and also widely translated.

David has worked for the Royal Dutch Shell Scenario Prediction unit and the World Economic Forum. He has been a popular speaker at TED conferences and at Davos. His work has been published in the Financial Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times, and has appeared on Newsnight, Start the Week, and other programs. When not slumped in front of a laptop, he has been known to attempt kickboxing, with highly variable results.