An example of popular science writing which could reinforce a scientific misconception (alternative conception):
"This equation (E=mc2) states that, though energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can sometimes take the unlikely form of solid matter. In other words, any solid object can be thought of as a form of congealed, highly concentrated energy; and that any form of energy can be thought of as a dilute mass. The most dramatic confirmation of this principle is a nuclear bomb, in which a small amount of mass is converted into an enormously energetic and destructive blast. Because c2 is such a large number, a small amount of mass represents a vast amount of energy. In the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, all it took was for about half a gramme of mass, less than that of a paper clip, to turn into all that destructive energy….
"…Einstein famously deduced that because the speed of light is the same for everyone, it also implies energy and mass can be turned into each other, in other words that E=mc2."…
"Mass, like heat and movement, is another form of energy. So, whenever whenever we cite the first law of thermodynamics and say that energy is always conserved, we must remember that all the mass in the universe is also a form of energy."
Paul Sen (2022) Einstein's Fridge. The science of fire, ice and the universe. William Collins.
These extracts seem to shift between the views
- that mass is an independent measure of energy (my take on Einstein's view), which means that one can always calculate the mass equivalence of some amount of energy (or vice versa); and
- that mass is one discrete form of energy among others – and so total energy should include mass as well as other forms – which means mass can be converted into other forms of energy – i.e., a common misconception.
Read: Conceptions of mass defect
Read about the nature of alternative conceptions
Read about some examples of science misconceptions
Read about historical scientific conceptions
