Is E=mc^2 an exclusively relativistic result?

TL;DR

The paper argues that Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula E=mc^2 is not exclusively relativistic, as it can also be derived from classical physics principles, challenging the common perception of its origin.

Contribution

It demonstrates that E=mc^2 can be derived from classical physics, showing it is not solely a relativistic result, and critiques Einstein's original derivation as flawed.

Findings

E=mc^2 derived from classical electromagnetic momentum and Newtonian mechanics.

Einstein's 1905 derivation is logically flawed as a purely relativistic proof.

The truly relativistic energy formula is E=(E0)/(1-v^2/c^2)^(1/2) as shown by Laue and Klein.

Abstract

The mass-energy formula E=mc^2 is thought to be derived by Einstein from special relativity. The present study shows that since the formula has also been derived from classical physics by Einstein, it is not an exclusively relativistic result. The formula is implied by the classical electromagnetic momentum P=E/c and the Newtonian definition of momentum P=mv. Like momentum P=mv, E=mc^2 applies to both classical physics and special relativity, if relativistic mass is used in the equation. The derivation by Einstein in 1905 is logically flawed as a relativistic proof and the truly relativistic formula should be E=(E0)/(1-v^2/c^2)^(1/2) derived by Laue in 1911 and Klein in 1918. If the energy measured in one reference frame is E0, it is E=(E0)/(1-v^2/c^2)^(1/2) in a reference frame moving at velocity v relative to the first frame.