Physics wk4 - Energy, Matter and the Four Forces

One of the most popularly known equations is E=mc^2.  The equation has become part of the Einstein brand, along with unruly hair.  The image of Intestine smoking a pipe that emits the cosmos has become imbedded in pop culture, and t-shirts available at Target.

via GIPHY

However when I pose the question to myself of how has e=mc^2 affected me, I'm initially left at a loss.  Energy is mass x a very large number.  The speed of light being that very large number, however I feel like it's easy to get caught up on the idea of light zooming around seemingly instantaneously versus how that quantity acts in this equation.  Which is to say it makes the sum of the parts a very very large amount of energy.

My assumption is that Einstein's theory of relativity relates to the coming the atomic age and the creation of the atomic bomb & nuclear power. Whether or not this assumption is true, it has colored my lens for viewing my world since childhood.

When I compare the four forces, I instinctively rate them by their relative magnitude.  With the Strong nuclear force & Electromagnetic forces massively outweighing the power of the Weak nuclear force and at the comparitivley easy to see but lacking in power the force of gravity.

Gravity is the attractive force that mass exerts over other mass.  Gravity functions to keep our bodies engaged with the ground and in such a balanced state that we can move about the surface of our planet without floating off into the atmosphere or it requiring so much energy to lift our limbs in fight of the gravitational force that we would never move at all.  Gravity has many many more functions, that a person more scientifically minded can appreciate with ease.  But for me, gravity is what is keeping me & all the objects that I interact with daily grounded.