Einstein's Big Idea
Over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein grappled with the implications of his revolutionary special theory of relativity and came to a startling conclusion: mass and energy are one, related by the formula E = mc2. In "Einstein's Big Idea," NOVA dramatizes the remarkable story behind this equation. E = mc2 was just one of several extraordinary breakthroughs that Einstein made in 1905, including the completion of his special theory of relativity, his identification of proof that atoms exist, and his explanation of the nature of light, which would win him the Nobel Prize in Physics. Among Einstein's ideas, E = mc2 is by far the most famous. Yet how many people know what it really means? In a thought-provoking and engrossing docudrama, NOVA illuminates this deceptively simple formula by unraveling the story of how it came to be.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Aidan McArdleEinstein | Einstein |
 Anton LesserVoltaire | Voltaire |
| AAndrew CallawayMaupertuis | Maupertuis |
 Julian Rhind-TuttAntoine Lavoisier | Antoine Lavoisier |
 Shirley HendersonMileva Maric | Mileva Maric |
 Ty GlaserMarie Anne Lavoisier | Marie Anne Lavoisier |
| AAndy CrabbeHabicht | Habicht |
 Samuel WestHumphry Davy | Humphry Davy |
| DDaniel D'AlessandroAlgarotti | Algarotti |
| BBrendan FlemingHermann Einstein | Hermann Einstein |
| GGregory Fox-MurphyBrande | Brande |
| PPhilip HerbertCount de Amerval | Count de Amerval |
| CChris JenkinsonDr. Haller | Dr. Haller |
 Wolf KahlerHorlein | Horlein |
 George LaytonEmilie’s Father | Emilie’s Father |
 Alex MacqueenChater | Chater |
| RRichard MulhollandEmilie’s Tutor | Emilie’s Tutor |
| SStephen NoonanMarat | Marat |
 Christopher EcclestonNarrator (voice) | Narrator (voice) |
 John LithgowNarrator (voice) U.S. edition | Narrator (voice) U.S. edition |
 Steven RobertsonMichael Faraday | Michael Faraday |
 Christian RubeckOtto Hahn | Otto Hahn |
 Emily WoofLise Meitner | Lise Meitner |
| IIan DuncanCharles de Breteuil | Charles de Breteuil |
| JJames TovellManson | Manson |