MATTER & ENERGY

why can't we take matter and convert it into pure energy?

Matter and energy are two sides of the same coin, according to Einstein's famous equation E=mc2$�=�{�}^2$.

That means that any amount of matter has a huge amount of energy locked inside it, and vice versa.

The c2${�}^2$ part is the speed of light squared, which is a ginormous number, so even a tiny bit of matter has a lot of energy potential.

We unlock that energy in two main ways: annihilation and fission.

Annihilation is when you take matter and antimatter (which is like matter's evil twin) and smash them together.

When they touch, they cancel each other out and release all their energy in a big bang.

This is the most efficient way to convert matter to energy, but there's a catch: we don't have much antimatter around, and it's super hard to make and store.

So this method is not very practical.

Fission is when you take a big atom, like uranium or plutonium, and split it into smaller atoms.

This releases some of the energy that was holding the big atom together, as well as some extra particles that can go on and split more atoms in a chain reaction.

This is how nuclear bombs and reactors work, but they only convert a tiny fraction of the matter into energy.

The rest remains as radioactive waste.

So, the answer to your question is because it's not that easy.

Matter is pretty stable and likes to stay as it is. To break it apart, you need a lot of energy and the right conditions.

And even then, you can't get 100% conversion, because some of the energy will be lost as heat or radiation that you can't use.

And don't forget about the law of conservation of mass-energy, which says that you can't create or destroy mass-energy, only change its form.

So you can't get something for nothing.