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rest energy

American  

noun

Physics.
  1. the energy equivalent to the mass of a particle at rest in an inertial frame of reference, equal to the rest mass times the square of the speed of light.


rest energy Scientific  
/ rĕst /
  1. In Special Relativity, the energy corresponding to the rest mass of a body, equal to the rest mass multiplied by the speed of light squared.

  2. See more at mass-energy equivalence


Etymology

Origin of rest energy

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because of the relationship of rest energy to mass, we now consider mass to be a form of energy rather than something separate.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Find the rest energy in joules and MeV of a proton, given its mass is 1.67×10−27 kg .

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Relativistically, at rest we have rest energy E0 = mc2 .

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015