ML109: Equations That Changed The World - Kalid Azad on Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity

This episode is another special one on equations that changed the world.

Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity is widely known as the world’s most famous equation created by history’s most famous scientist.

In simple terms the equation reads - E = MC² which states that Energy = Mass x Speed of Light²

This theory predicts the equivalence of mass and energy and a space-time continuum, which fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe and how it works.

In practical terms, Einstein’s theory ultimately led to the creation of nuclear energy sources – a defining moment in the history of humanity similar to the discovery of fire, because it allowed us to have far greater energy yields than we’d ever had before by splitting the atom…

Today’s guest, Kalid Azad, is the founder of Better Explained, one of the world's most popular maths websites that makes hard concepts easy to understand. After studying Computer Science at Princeton, Kalid spent a few years at Microsoft as a program manager, founded a Y Combinator startup, and currently works as a developer.

Kalid uses an intuition first approach to explain difficult ideas in a way that anyone can understand and this makes him the perfect guide for this episode. In this episode we discuss:

- Einstein’s backstory and how it influenced his work
- The mechanics of the equation in a way that you can understand
- The implications of the equation for our view of the Universe

So whether you’re looking to find out more about Einstein, dive deeper into the equation and its importance, or explore maths and physics in a way that’s fun and accessible, this episode has you covered.

Resources

🖥 Better Explained - Kalid's Site

📖 Calculus Better Explained - Kalid Azad

📖 Math Better Explained - Kalid Azad