By far the most famous of Einstein’s scientific theories, perhaps the most famous scientific theory ever, E=MC2 is a formula which proposes that mass and energy are actually the same thing. Whether we realise it or not, Einstein’s theory changed the way we view science in everyday life. Published in 1905 as the Special Theory of Relativity (which actually came before the General Theory of Relativity), the diagram below explains the formula at the most basic level.

What this means is that the faster an object travels, as it begins to approach the speed of light, it actually becomes slightly lighter, meaning that mass and energy must be one and the same.

The theory eventually lead to huge leaps in nuclear physics, leading to advancements in both nuclear weapons and power. Without Einstein’s knowledge we may have lived in a very different world.