The Building of Ideas: Matter & Energy
Einstein’s Big Idea
Albert Einstein was able to make his leap of understanding about mass and
energy because of the many scientists before him who had worked hard, seen
problems in a new light, and fought to make their ideas heard. Today’s scientists
continue to build on Einstein’s work and the work of others to reveal new
understanding about the world. In this activity, you will learn about some of the
people who contributed to the concepts in and confirmation of E = mc2.
Procedure
1. take notes on:
a. energy (Michael Faraday)
b. mass (Antoine-Laurent and Marie Anne Lavoisier)
c. light (Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell)
d. velocity – c2 (Gottfried von Leibniz and Emilie du Châtelet)
e. development of E = mc2 (Albert Einstein),
f. confirmation of E = mc2 (Hahn, Fritz Strassmann, Lise Meitner, and Otto
Robert Frisch)
2. For each topic a-f above, include:
Category:
Scientist:
Nationality:
Concept:
Experiment:
Time Period:
Challenges Faced:
3. After watching the video, share your notes with your lab group to make sure
you have a complete set up notes!.
4. When Einstein wrote his paper revealing his supposition that mass and energy
were simply different forms of the same thing, it was a hypothesis based on
mathematical and philosophical ideas. In a five-paragraph essay address the
following question: What evidence accumulated between 1905 and the present
day about energy and mass that turned Einstein’s hypothesis into scientific
truth?
Each individual will turn in an essay.
Typed! Due:
June 9(period 1-2)
June 10(period 3-4)