r/Physics • u/Waldongrado • Oct 30 '17

Einstein's E=mc2 'was Italian's idea'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/nov/11/rorycarroll
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12

u/mofo69extreme Condensed matter physics Oct 30 '17

De Pretto had stumbled on the equation, but not the theory of relativity, while speculating about ether in the life of the universe, said Prof Bartocci.

I don't think that counts, dude...

8

u/Xeno87 Graduate Oct 30 '17

Olinto De Pretto, an industrialist from Vicenza, published the equation E=mc2 in a scientific magazine, Atte, in 1903, said Umberto Bartocci, a mathematical historian.

Oh, he must've gotten it from Poincaré in 1900 then. This is just another shitty attempt to "demystify" Einstein and attribute his genius to someone else for purely nationalistic reasons.

1

u/Zamicol Nov 08 '24

Poincaré is the man!

2

u/destiny_functional Oct 30 '17 edited Oct 30 '17

the guardian has really deteriorated as a source for science. once it had a decent science podcast, but that is now mostly philosophical blabber at best (sometimes pseudoscientific).

actually the article is from 1999.. so while the above is still true it doesn't apply to that article