Details
MICHELSON, Albert Abraham (1852-1931) and Edward Williams MORLEY (1838-1923). "On the relative motion of the earth and the luminiferous ether". In: London, Edinburgh, and Dublin philosophical magazine and journal of science, 5th series, 24 (1887), pp. [449]-463 (December). London: Taylor & Francis, 1887.
8o (222 x 142 mm). Original blue printed wrappers (front cover detached, minor losses to spine). Provenance: Knut Pauli (signature); Mr. Chelson (signature); shelfmark label on front cover.
FIRST APPEARANCE. Michelson and Morley devised a series of experiments designed to calculate the effect of the earth's motion on the passage of light rays through the "luminiferous ether" which was believed to surround the earth. Despite their careful preparations - which included mounting their equipment on a large stone floating in mercury to exclude interference from incidental vibration - they found no difference between the speed of beams of light travelling either with or against the "ether wind". "The failure of this experiment was a serious blow to classical scientific theories beacuse it cast doubts on the existence of the universal ether which had been a basic principle of, for example, the Newtonian theories of the universe" (PMM 401). "This negative result held revolutionary implications which led directly through Lorentz and Einstein to the acceptance of new standards of time and space from geometry and cosmometry" (Dibner). Dibner Heralds of Science 161. Norman 1508.
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FIRST APPEARANCE. Michelson and Morley devised a series of experiments designed to calculate the effect of the earth's motion on the passage of light rays through the "luminiferous ether" which was believed to surround the earth. Despite their careful preparations - which included mounting their equipment on a large stone floating in mercury to exclude interference from incidental vibration - they found no difference between the speed of beams of light travelling either with or against the "ether wind". "The failure of this experiment was a serious blow to classical scientific theories beacuse it cast doubts on the existence of the universal ether which had been a basic principle of, for example, the Newtonian theories of the universe" (PMM 401). "This negative result held revolutionary implications which led directly through Lorentz and Einstein to the acceptance of new standards of time and space from geometry and cosmometry" (Dibner). Dibner Heralds of Science 161. Norman 1508.