>>21120186The claim that Albert Einstein "stole" the equation E=mc2 from the Italian scientist Olinto De Pretto is not supported by credible historical evidence. The origin of this famous equation is well-documented in Einstein's 1905 paper on special relativity, titled "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?".
Olinto De Pretto did publish a paper in 1903 that contained a formula similar to
E=mc2, but his work did not provide the theoretical framework or the detailed analysis that Einstein did. De Pretto's equation was more of a coincidence rather than a precursor to Einstein's work. His approach lacked the rigorous derivation and the broader implications that Einstein's theory of relativity provided.
Einstein's derivation of
E=mc2 came from his work on special relativity, which was based on the postulate that the speed of light is constant in all inertial frames of reference. This theoretical foundation was something that De Pretto did not address.
Therefore, while De Pretto's work is interesting, it is not accurate to say that Einstein "stole" the equation from him. Einstein's contribution was groundbreaking because it not only presented the equation but also provided the context and theoretical justification that revolutionized physics.
