Key Stage 5
Meaning
Rest energy is the energy associated with the mass of a particle, by the mass-energy equivalence, which is stationary relative to the observer.
About Rest Energy
- The rest energy of a subatomic particle is released in an annihilation with its antiparticle.
- The total rest energy is the product of the rest mass and the speed of light squared.
- The rest energy of subatomic particles is usually quoted in electron-volts (eV).
Equation
The rest energy is given by the equation
\(E=mc^2\)
Where
\(E =\) The rest energy of a particle.
\(m =\) The rest mass of a particle.
\(c =\) The speed of light (\(3.00\times10^{8}ms^{-1}\) in a vacuum).