Rearranging the equation to solve for mass in kilograms: m=E/c^2 or m=86,000,000/c^2

In order to get that 86 million Joules, E in the formula, you require 86,000,000 divided by C squared, which equals about 9.55^-10 kilograms of mass, or about a microgram. Let's relate that to a common object.

Nine chocolate chips (Costco-size) weigh about .2 ounces, so a single chocolate chip weighs .2/9 * 28 (grams per ounce) = about 620 milligrams.

What Einstein's equation is telling us is that if you could somehow extract all the mass-energy from a single chocolate chip, you could power your house for about 1700 years.

Sadly you can't extract that energy*.

What You Can Do

You can EAT chocolate chips with no difficulty whatsoever. If you require, as is claimed, 2000 calories, or 2.4kWh per day, then according to the 4.5 pound Costco package that contains 146 servings of 60 calories each, you would need to eat about one pound of chocolate chips to keep you running on chemical energy for a single day. Since keeping your house running for a day requires 35kWh, while you require only 2.4kWh, a chocolate chip has enough energy to keep you running for 25,000 years!

The Ratio Between Chemical Energy and Atomic Mass-Energy

At least in the case of chocolate chips; 1 Pound (454,000,000 micrograms) for one person-day (2.4kWh) versus 1 microgram for one house-day (35kWh) gives a ratio of about 6.6 billion to one.

Of Course there's no such thing as nuclear chocolate, but that number, 6.6 billion, is why nuclear power is so attractive!

PREVIOUS

(3)

NEXT

* Perhaps you could if you went to Anti-Costco and purchased a package of antimatter chocolate chips, but that would present other difficulties.