Über die Kernenergie zu Einstein und zurück

Nuclear engineers are more than familiar with the principle of neutron-induced nuclear fission for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. When a neutron has penetrated a fissionable nucleus, that nucleus decays mostly into 2 medium-heavy fragments, releasing an average of three other neutrons plus nuclear power in the process. The neutrons released allow the chain reaction of nuclear fissions in a nuclear reactor to be self-sustaining under control by appropriate devices. The balance of nuclear fission indicates a mass defect related to the release of energy, as can be found in Einstein's famous formula of the equivalence of mass and energy: E = mc 2 . Einstein derived this relation when developing his Theory of Special Relativity, which he published at the age of 26 in 1905 in a contribution about electrodynamics. Important findings of that theory are summarized and presented clearly.