Pacific Palisades resident Chuck McGlothlin discusses Einstein’s theories. Photo: RICH WILKEN
During Covid, some people hunkered down never leaving their homes, watching nonstop news and bemoaning the end of civilization. Palisades resident Chuck McGlothlin took a different approach.
The Purdue graduate, who received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, and then his master’s degree in the same subject from USC, continued reading books on Physicist Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity E=mc2. It was an interest that had started when McGlothlin retired in 2002.
“I was intrigued by his discovery of Special Relativity and his famous 1905 equation E=mc2,” McGlothlin said, noting he was also intrigued by Einstein’s 1915 theory of General Relativity. (General Relativity is a physical theory about space and time. According to general relativity, spacetime is a 4-dimensional object that has to obey an equation, called the Einstein equation, which explains how matter curves the spacetime.)
For his contributions, “Time Magazine selected Einstein as the most important Person in the 20th Century,” McLothlin said.
A former Palisades Citizen of the Year, McGlothlin came to some conclusions calling it “Einstein’s Eternal Energy” which he shared with CTN.
The 1905 theory states that space and time are relative, and all motion must be relative to the frame of reference. On the most basic level, the equation says that energy and mass are interchangeable, that they are different forms of the same thing.
McGlothlin wrote: E=mc2 is Einstein’s Equation was presented in 1905, where E is energy, m is mass and c2 is the speed of light squared.
He suggests the following conjecture could be applied to Einstein’s famous equation.
“Assume all the mass of every person on Earth is eventually converted to energy, and this energy remains in our solar system and galaxy forever.
“The total would be a tremendously large number because c2 is 34.8 x1024 miles/years (light years squared) or a trillion, trillion miles/years.
McGlothlin concluded that “We would call this Einstein’s Eternal Energy, and this energy could contribute to Dark Energy, which has been estimated at 90 percent of all the matter in the Universe.”
Physicists, is McGlothin onto something?
McGlothin, who went to Central High School in Flint, Michigan and attended Purdue, worked for eight years in Aerospace with Lockheed Aircraft and Hughes Aircraft.
After the Aerospace industry, he worked for 30 years as a Commercial Real Estate Mortgage Banker with GMAC Mortgage and GE Mortgage.
He moved to the Palisades in 1974 with his wife Susan, and became active in the community, including as a member of Sons of the American Legion.
McGlothlin also led the effort to revitalize Swarthmore in the mid-90s. Before Caruso, Swarthmore’s sidewalks, buildings and landscaping were unsightly. With Hal Maninger, the two men were able to raise money to upgrade that street, putting in new trees, sidewalks, benches and lampposts.
Their efforts turned the street around and made it a centerpiece of the town. He and Maninger were named Citizens of the Year 1996 for the accomplishment.
Donations to revitalize Swarthmore were made through Palisades PRIDE, of which McGlothlin was the first president.
McGlothlin, who has been a member of the Palisades Optimist Club since 1980, and club president in 1989, annually helps with the 5/10K Will Rogers Run, which helps the race foundation with its contributions to local nonprofits. Last year, he was named President of the Palisades Optimist Foundation, which donates funds to youth activities in the Palisades and Los Angeles.
Albert Einstein