Reply #2: e=mc^2 is not "one of the most complex mathematical theorems ever devised"

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i realize this is not really the point of the article, but e=mc^2 is neither complex nor a mathematical theorem.

first, it is a theory of physics, not of mathematics.

second, the theory of relativity behind that fomula was a very powerful, paradigm-shifting advance in physics thought. any paradigm-shifting involves a certain amount of cognitive dissonance, which is easily confused with complexity. the theory of relativity, in fact, is not particularly complex at all. it's just very different from the previously prevailing understandings of time, space, motion, and gravity, which (still) line up better with our everyday, practical experience.

thus, even 100 years later, everyone who learns about relativity experiences the same paradigm-shifting cognitive dissonance and thinks of relativity as "complex" when it's really not, from an objective standpoint. if you want complex, try maxwell's equations of electromagnetism.

finally, e=mc^2 is but one conclusion of relativity. it's not the whole of it.