Theoretically, this implies that any object with mass can itself be converted to pure energy, and vice versa. However, special relativity showed that mass is related to energy and vice versa by E = mc 2, and science now takes the view that mass-energy as a whole is conserved. If one adds up all forms of energy that were released in the explosion, such as the kinetic energy and potential energy of the pieces, as well as heat and sound, one will get the exact decrease of chemical energy in the combustion of the dynamite.Ĭlassically, conservation of energy was distinct from conservation of mass.

For instance, chemical energy is converted to kinetic energy when a stick of dynamite explodes. This law, first proposed and tested by Émilie du Châtelet, means that energy can neither be created nor destroyed rather, it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. In physics and chemistry, the law of conservation of energy states that the total energy of an isolated system remains constant it is said to be conserved over time.

What is the law of conservation of mass