Inquiry: Brian Cox: WHY DOES E=mc2 ? (and why should we care?)

It is the most recognizable equation in the world and it explains Albert Einstein’s theory of space and time in an elegant, yet deceptively simple expression. But what is the real meaning of this equation? Tonight on Inquiry we speak with BRIAN COX, Professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester and a well-known radio and television presenter. Professor Cox talks about Einstein’s concept of “spacetime”, how we measure distances in spacetime and what causality and invariance has to do with the speed of light. Which brings us to the famous Twins Paradox, the inspiration for many a science fiction tale an even Twilight Zone episodes. All this, and what the discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider will mean for the Standard Model. If you have ever wanted to really understand relativity, be sure to tune in. Cox’s book, c0-authroed with Jeff Forshaw, is titled WHY DOES E=MC2 ? AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?