Item #26 Über die vom Relativitätsprinzip geforderte Trägheit der Energie [On the Inertia of Energy Required by the Relativity Principle]. ALBERT EINSTEIN.
Über die vom Relativitätsprinzip geforderte Trägheit der Energie [On the Inertia of Energy Required by the Relativity Principle]
Über die vom Relativitätsprinzip geforderte Trägheit der Energie [On the Inertia of Energy Required by the Relativity Principle]

Über die vom Relativitätsprinzip geforderte Trägheit der Energie [On the Inertia of Energy Required by the Relativity Principle]

In “On the inertia of energy required by the relativity principle” (May 1907), “Using μ rather than m, V rather than c, and ε0 rather than E0, Einstein wrote his famous equation for the first time as μV2=ε0, and he did it in a footnote. At the end of that paper, he introduced the symbol E0 to denote energy in the rest frame, and wrote the famous expression again, this time as  μ=E0/V2.” -Eugene Hecht, How Einstein confirmed E0=mc2

FIRST PRINTING IN EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL WRAPPERS of Einstein’s important paper on the mass-energy equivalence, a crucial paper in the development of his most famous equation, with his first use of E=mc2 (although with different symbols).

In “On the Inertia of Energy Required by the Relativity Principle,” “Einstein discussed the relationship between inertial mass and energy, arguing for their complete equivalence, namely, that every mass has an equivalent energy just as every form of energy has an equivalent mass. This relation says that a photon can convert into matter with the appropriate mass, and vice versa. He deduced the exact expression for the equivalence of mass and energy, his celebrated equation E = mc2” (Calaprice, The Einstein Almanac).

“In the last section of this May 1907 paper, Einstein, seeking ‘the simplest expression for E,’ the total energy, set E0=mc2 for the very first time. Here, E0 is the energy ‘for the stationary mass-point;’ the term rest-energy was still not part of his lexicon” (Hecht).

IN: Annalen der Physik, Vol 23, No. 7, pp. 371-384. Leipzig: Barth, 1907. Octavo, original wrappers; custom box. Embossed institutional stamp on cover. Repaired closed tear to rear wrapper. An exceptional copy in the extremely rare and fragile original wrappers.

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