  A number of well-known difficulties in physics resulted from merging the
theory of relativity with the Compton-de Broglie wave mechanics. Two such
problems were the failure of Dirac's relativistic wave equation to predict the
correct velocity of the electron, and the fact that the measured yield from
nuclear fission was found to be substantially less than the theoretical yield.
It is shown that the origin of these and other problems stem from the
inconsistency of the relativistic mass-energy equivalence principle with the
fundamental assumptions of wave mechanics. An alternative view of the concept
of mass-energy equivalence that results in a very good agreement between theory
and experiment is demonstrated. The conclusions of this paper will be quite
important for ongoing research, such as the current problem of the neutrino's
mass.
