Need Help :( (1 Viewer)

Kpopaddicr

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
7
Gender
Female
HSC
2016
When they use a term in physics such as aether model, does that just refer to aether or does it mean something else? And also how is an aether model an absolute frame of reference?
 

Nailgun

Cole World
Joined
Jun 14, 2014
Messages
2,193
Gender
Male
HSC
2016
Aether model is the scientific concept. That is aether is the medium in which light travels, is the fabric of space, has certain properties (great elasticity, extremely low density, permeates all matter), and it is the absolute frame of reference.

It was well established that motion was relative by Galileo way before anyone and that speed was determined by your frame of reference, so when James Maxwell worked out the electromagnetic waves travel at 3 x 10^8 in a vacuum, it preempted the question; what was this speed relative to? The aether model pretty much describes aether as the fabric of space, and so it gave something that theoretically everything else would be relative too. It seemed logical that there would be some kind of absolute reference, and so aether was what it was called.
 

leehuan

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 31, 2014
Messages
5,805
Gender
Male
HSC
2015
Aether model is the scientific concept. That is aether is the medium in which light travels, is the fabric of space, has certain properties (great elasticity, extremely low density, permeates all matter), and it is the absolute frame of reference.

It was well established that motion was relative by Galileo way before anyone and that speed was determined by your frame of reference, so when James Maxwell worked out the electromagnetic waves travel at 3 x 10^8 in a vacuum, it preempted the question; what was this speed relative to? The aether model pretty much describes aether as the fabric of space, and so it gave something that theoretically everything else would be relative too. It seemed logical that there would be some kind of absolute reference, and so aether was what it was called.
Though wait. I wasn't reading this properly - did you establish that the aether was also the medium that light was believed to through?
 

Nailgun

Cole World
Joined
Jun 14, 2014
Messages
2,193
Gender
Male
HSC
2016
Though wait. I wasn't reading this properly - did you establish that the aether was also the medium that light was believed to through?
Ahaha it wasn't really how I'd structure an exam response, I was more just trying to explain it
 

leehuan

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 31, 2014
Messages
5,805
Gender
Male
HSC
2015
Might've been why I missed it :p my bad
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top