could some kindly write a sample response to this question.. (1 Viewer)

[kooltrainer]

would someone write a sample response to this question? it'll help me make my response clearer and help u revise for ur upcomming trial exam..







25) ASSESS significance of Michaelson-Morley experiment to Einstein's theory of special relativity

 

[Aerath]

http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/physics/core/space/9_2_4/924net.html#net4

There are quite a lot of good answers there.

But also:

• 1887 Michelson and Morley set out to prove the existence of the aether
o Based on the fact that because the Earth was moving through the aether, just as sound travels faster downwind than upwind, a light beam would experience an ‘aether wind’
• The speed depending on the direction of its motion in respect to this wind.
o Experiment set up with light moving in perpendicular directions by splitting the light beam, sending them in perpendicular directions and recombining them again to produce an interference pattern
• Interferometer – produced a pattern of bright and dark concentric rings
• Calculated to be sensitive enough to detect a change
• Due to aether wind, the pattern should be slightly different when the apparatus was rotated – null result
o The null result meant one of 3 things
• The aether is dragged along with the earth
• The earth is motionless relative to the aether
• There is no aether
• Thus, the speed of light is a universal constant

 

[kooltrainer]

that didnt really answer the question.. significance on relativity

 

[Aerath]

Well, the only thing I could find was: (in addition to what was posted above)

The Micehlson-Morley experiment was crucial because it questioned the existence of aether and provided the experimental evidence to support Einstein's special theory of relativity (that is, that the speed of light is constant, and aether did not exist).
Because of the 'null' result of the MM experiment, physicists graudally accepted Einstein's relativity theories, and adopted to futrther explore their full implications.