michelson morley experiment method

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Michelson-Morley Experiment

What is michelson-morley experiment.

About 150 years ago, physicists believed that light waves require a medium to pass through. The Michelson-Morley experiment was performed by American scientists Albert Michelson and Edward Morley between April and July 1887. The purpose of this experiment is to prove the existence of ether. This hypothetical medium permeating space was thought to be the carrier of light waves. This experiment aimed to measure the speed of light in two perpendicular directions relative to the ether. The result was negative. Michelson and Morley did not find any significant difference between the speed of light in the direction of the presumed ether and the speed at right angles.

Experimental Arrangement of Michelson-Morley Experiment

To the effect of ether on the speed of light, Michelson designed a device now known as an interferometer. It is a sensitive optical device that compares the optical path lengths for light moving in two mutually perpendicular directions and utilized the interference of light waves to perform measurements of incredible accuracy. It sent a beam of light from a single source through a half-silvered mirror (beam splitter) that split it into two beams traveling perpendicular to each other. After departing the splitter, the beams traveled out to the long arms of the interferometer, where they were reflected in the middle by two small mirrors. Then, they recombined on the far side of the splitter, producing a pattern of constructive and destructive interference. The pattern of fringes, as observed by an eyepiece, is based on the length of the arms. Any slight change in the length would alter the amount of time the beams spent in transit. This change would then be observed as a shift in the positions of the interference fringes.

Conclusion of Michelson-Morley Experiment

Michelson and Morley measured the speed of light by observing the interference fringes produced by the two beams. They expected that the light would travel faster along an arm if oriented in the same direction as the ether was moving, and slower if oriented in the opposite direction. Since the two arms were perpendicular, there is only one way that light would travel at the same speed in both arms and arrive simultaneously at the eyepiece. It was possible if the instrument were motionless to the ether. If this were not the case, the crests and troughs of the light waves in the two arms would arrive and interfere slightly out of synchronization, thus reducing the intensity. Although Michelson and Morley expected different speeds of light in each direction, they found no noticeable shift in the fringes. Otherwise, that would indicate a different speed in any orientation or at any position of the Earth in its orbit. This null result seriously discredited existing ether theories. Eventually, it led to the proposal by Albert Einstein in 1905 that the speed of light is a universal constant.

Article was last reviewed on Saturday, May 9, 2020

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If the above experiment (as well as Airy’s Failure) did not detect the earth’s movement, how come Focault’s pendulum does? Can’t prove truth via lies.

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The Michelson-Morley experiment

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The German-born American physicist A.A. Michelson set the early standard for measurements of the speed of light in the late 1870s, determining a speed within 0.02 percent of the modern value. Michelson’s most noteworthy measurements of the speed of light, however, were yet to come. From the first speculations on the wave nature of light by Huygens through the progressively more refined theories of Young, Fresnel, and Maxwell, it was assumed that an underlying physical medium supports the transmission of light, in much the same way that air supports the transmission of sound . Called the ether , or the luminiferous ether , this medium was thought to permeate all of space. The inferred physical properties of the ether were problematic—to support the high-frequency transverse oscillations of light, it would have to be very rigid, but its lack of effect on planetary motion and the fact that it was not observed in any terrestrial circumstances required it to be tenuous and chemically undetectable. While there is no reference to the properties of a supporting medium in the mathematics of Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory, even he subscribed to the ether’s existence, writing an article on the subject for the ninth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica in the 1870s. In 1887 Michelson, in collaboration with American chemist Edward Morley , completed a precise set of optical measurements designed to detect the motion of Earth through the ether as it orbited the Sun .

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The measurements in the Michelson-Morley experiment were based on the assumption that an observer at rest in the ether would determine a different speed from an observer moving through the ether. Because Earth’s speed relative to the Sun is about 29,000 metres per second, or about 0.01 percent of the speed of light, Earth provides a convenient vantage point for measuring any change in the relative speed of light due to motion. Using a Michelson optical interferometer , interference effects between two light beams traveling parallel to, and perpendicular to, Earth’s orbital motion were monitored during the course of its orbit. The instrument was capable of detecting a difference in light speeds along the two paths of the interferometer as small as 5,000 metres per second (less than 2 parts in 100,000 of the speed of light). No difference was found. If Earth indeed moved through the ether, that motion seemed to have no effect on the measured speed of light.

What is now known as the most famous experimental null result in physics was reconciled in 1905 when Albert Einstein , in his formulation of special relativity , postulated that the speed of light is the same in all reference frames ; i.e., the measured speed of light is independent of the relative motion of the observer and the light source. The hypothetical ether, with its preferred reference frame, was eventually abandoned as an unnecessary construct.

Since Einstein’s work , the speed of light is considered a fundamental constant of nature. Its significance is far broader than its role in describing a property of electromagnetic waves. It serves as the single limiting velocity in the universe , being an upper bound to the propagation speed of signals and to the speeds of all material particles. In the famous relativity equation, E = m c 2 , the speed of light ( c ) serves as a constant of proportionality linking the formerly disparate concepts of mass ( m ) and energy ( E ).

Measurements of the speed of light were successively refined in the 20th century, eventually reaching a precision limited by the definitions of the units of length and time—the metre and the second. In 1983 the 17th General Conference on Weights and Measures fixed the speed of light as a defined constant at exactly 299,792,458 metres per second. The metre became a derived unit, equaling the distance traveled by light in 1/299,792,458 of a second ( see International System of Units ).

Polarization

Waves come in two varieties. In a longitudinal wave the oscillating disturbance is parallel to the direction of propagation. A familiar example is a sound wave in air—the oscillating motions of the air molecules are induced in the direction of the advancing wave. Transverse waves consist of disturbances that are at right angles to the direction of propagation; for example, as a wave travels horizontally through a body of water, its surface bobs up and down.

A number of puzzling optical effects, first observed in the mid-17th century, were resolved when light was understood as a wave phenomenon and the directions of its oscillations were uncovered. The first so-called polarization effect was discovered by the Danish physician Erasmus Bartholin in 1669. Bartholin observed double refraction , or birefringence, in calcite (a common crystalline form of calcium carbonate). When light passes through calcite, the crystal splits the light, producing two images offset from each other. Newton was aware of this effect and speculated that perhaps his corpuscles of light had an asymmetry or “sidedness” that could explain the formation of the two images. Huygens, a contemporary of Newton, could account for double refraction with his elementary wave theory, but he did not recognize the true implications of the effect. Double refraction remained a mystery until Thomas Young , and independently the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel , suggested that light waves are transverse. This simple notion provided a natural and uncomplicated framework for the analysis of polarization effects. (The polarization of the entering light wave can be described as a combination of two perpendicular polarizations, each with its own wave speed. Because of their different wave speeds, the two polarization components have different indices of refraction, and they therefore refract differently through the material, producing two images.) Fresnel quickly developed a comprehensive model of transverse light waves that accounted for double refraction and a host of other optical effects. Forty years later, Maxwell’s electromagnetic theory elegantly provided the basis for the transverse nature of light.

The equations show that the electric and magnetic fields are in phase with each other; at any given point in space, they reach their maximum values, E 0 and B 0 , at the same time. The amplitudes of the fields are not independent; Maxwell’s equations show that E 0 = c B 0 for all electromagnetic waves in a vacuum .

In describing the orientation of the electric and magnetic fields of a light wave, it is common practice to specify only the direction of the electric field; the magnetic field direction then follows from the requirement that the fields are perpendicular to one another, as well as the direction of wave propagation . A linearly polarized wave has the property that the fields oscillate in fixed directions as the wave propagates . Other polarization states are possible. In a circularly polarized light wave, the electric and magnetic field vectors rotate about the propagation direction while maintaining fixed amplitudes. Elliptically polarized light refers to a situation intermediate between the linear and circular polarization states.

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Michelson-Morley experiment explained by means of five methods

Shukri Klinaku 1

Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd Journal of Physics: Conference Series , Volume 2197 , THE VIGIER CENTENARY Third Regime Natural Science Toward a PHYSICS OF THE OBSERVER: 12th International Symposium Honouring Noted Mathematical Physicist Jean-Pierre Vigier (Vigier 2021) 20/09/2021 - 23/09/2021 Online Citation Shukri Klinaku 2022 J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 2197 012018 DOI 10.1088/1742-6596/2197/1/012018

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1 University of Prishtina Department of Physics Rr. George Bush 31, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo

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The Michelson-Morley experiment (MME) is still important to physics, and not just to the history of physics. The hypothesis of contraction of bodies in the direction of their motion arose as an ad hoc hypothesis about the "contraction" of the Michelson's interferometer arm in the direction of its motion. Even today this experiment is the "strongest argument" of this hypothesis, and of time dilation too. This work will present the explanation of the MME through five methods. The first method can be called the traditional method, which was applied by Michelson, but not correctly. The other methods are the explanation of the MME with the interferometer located at an acute angle to the direction of Earth's motion; with the light clock; using Galilean transformation in polar coordinates and using the Doppler effect formula. All these methods give the same solution, and this solution is in accordance with the experiment's result. Solutions derived from these five methods represent a natural explanation for the result of the MME – without weird terms and without unscientific assumptions.

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History of the Michelson-Morley Experiment

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The Michelson-Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth through the luminous ether. Though often called the Michelson-Morley experiment, the phrase actually refers to a series of experiments carried out by Albert Michelson in 1881 and then again (with better equipment) at Case Western University in 1887 along with chemist Edward Morley. Though the ultimate result was negative, the experiment key in that it opened the door for an alternative explanation for the strange wave-like behavior of light.

How It Was Supposed to Work

By the end of the 1800s, the dominant theory of how light worked was that it was a wave of electromagnetic energy, because of experiments such as Young's double slit experiment .

The problem is that a wave had to move through some sort of medium. Something has to be there to do the waving. Light was known to travel through outer space (which scientists believed was a vacuum) and you could even create a vacuum chamber and shine a light through it, so all of the evidence made it clear that light could move through a region without any air or other matter.

To get around this problem, physicists hypothesized that there was a substance which filled the entire universe. They called this substance the luminous ether (or sometimes luminiferous aether, though it seems like this is just kind of throwing in pretentious-sounding syllables and vowels).

Michelson and Morley (probably mostly Michelson) came up with the idea that you should be able to measure the motion of the Earth through the ether. The ether was typically believed to be unmoving and static (except, of course, for the vibration), but the Earth was moving quickly.

Think about when you hang your hand out of the car window on a drive. Even if it's not windy, your own motion makes it seem windy. The same should be true for the ether. Even if it stood still, since the Earth moves, then light that goes in one direction should be moving faster along with the ether than light that goes in the opposite direction. Either way, so long as there was some sort of motion between the ether and the Earth, it should have created an effective "ether wind" that would have either pushed or hindered the motion of the light wave, similar to how a swimmer moves faster or slower depending on whether he is moving along with or against the current.

To test this hypothesis, Michelson and Morley (again, mostly Michelson) designed a device that split a beam of light and bounced it off mirrors so that it moved in different directions and finally hit the same target. The principle at work was that if two beams traveled the same distance along different paths through the ether, they should move at different speeds and therefore when they hit the final target screen those light beams would be slightly out of phase with each other, which would create a recognizable interference pattern. This device, therefore, came to be known as the Michelson interferometer (shown in the graphic at the top of this page).

The Results

The result was disappointing because they found absolutely no evidence of the relative motion bias they were looking for. No matter which path the beam took, light seemed to be moving at precisely the same speed. These results were published in 1887. One other way to interpret the results at the time was to assume that the ether was somehow connected to the motion of the Earth, but no one really could come up with a model that allowed this that made sense.

In fact, in 1900 the British physicist Lord Kelvin famously indicated that this result was one of the two "clouds" that marred an otherwise complete understanding of the universe, with a general expectation that it would be resolved in relatively short order.

It would take nearly 20 years (and the work of Albert Einstein ) to really get over the conceptual hurdles needed to abandon the ether model entirely and adopt the current model, in which light exhibits wave-particle duality .

Find the full text of their paper published in the 1887 edition of the American Journal of Science , archived online at the AIP website .

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Lessons From the Michelson-Morley Experiment

This year marks the centenary of one of the most important scientific experiments ever performed it was in cleveland, ohio in 1887 that albert a. michelson and edward w morley undertook a measurement that was a milestone in man's effort to understand the way in which light travels through space. physicists regard this work as a crucial step in our journey toward an understanding of the very nature of space and time itself had the results of this measurement been different, einstein's theory of.

Physicists regard this work as a crucial step in our journey toward an understanding of the very nature of space and time itself Had the results of this measurement been different, Einstein's theory of relativity would not have been tenable.

The Michelson-Morley experiment was remarkable in many ways. Not only did it set the stage for Lorentz, Fitzgerald, Poincare, and finally Einstein to establish the mathematical framework that described the propagation of light through space and time, it also marked a turning point for science in the New World. The year 1887 can be said to mark the birth of...

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The Michelson-Morley Experiment

Performed in Cleveland in 1887, this famous experiment disproved the hypothesis of a stationary "luminiferous ether." The problems it posed led indirectly to Einstein's special theory of relativity

By R. S. Shankland

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Michelson Morley Experiment

We know a medium is absolutely necessary for any transmission in science. The medium of transmission plays an important role in efficient channeling. Waves like sound waves use air for transmission. Then, how is the light transmitted?

Let us know more about the Michelson Morley Experiment in detail to know about light transmission and velocity of the earth.

Michelson Morley Experiment was performed by two eminent scientists Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley in the year 1887 to explain and demonstrate the presence of luminiferous ether.

What Is Luminiferous Ether or Aether?

Luminiferous Ether is the theoretical substance that acts as the medium for the transmission of electromagnetic waves like light rays and X-rays. Ether was assumed to be a transmission medium for the propagation of light.

Luminiferous ether was believed to be a theoretical medium in the 19th century. These substances were assumed to be frictionless, weightless and transparent substances. When the special theory of relativity was developed, the concept of luminiferous ether lost significance gradually.

Michelson Morley Experiment compared the speed of light in perpendicular directions in an attempt to detect the relative motion of matter through the stationary luminiferous aether. But this experiment yielded no results to prove a significant difference between the speed of light in the direction of movement through the presumed aether, and the speed at right angles.

The Michelson Morley Experiment was one of the failed experiments that stands as proof against the existence of the luminiferous ether concept.

Michelson and Morley tried to explain that Earth moved around the sun on its orbit, and the flow of substances like ether across the Earth’s surface could produce a detectable “ether wind”.

They tried to demonstrate the concept that the speed of the light would depend on the magnitude of the ether wind and on the direction of the beam with respect to it when the light is emitted from a source on Earth. Ether was assumed to be stationary. The idea of the experiment was to measure the speed of light in different directions in order to measure the speed of the ether relative to Earth, thus establishing its existence.

Interferometer

To measure the velocity of the Earth with the help of ether and to measure the changing pattern of the light, Albert Michelson developed a device called an interferometer.

The interferometer features the following components

• beam splitter
• beam splitter reference mirror
• coherent light source
• movable mirror

Pictorial representation of the interferometer is as shown in the figure below.

The interferometer features a half-transparent mirror that is oriented at an angle of 45°. This mirror is used to divide the light beam into two equal parts. One part of the divided beam is transmitted towards a fixed mirror and part of the divided beam is reflected in a movable mirror. The half-transparent mirror has the same effect on the returning beams, splitting them into two beams. Thus, when two diminished light beams reach the screen, a constructive and destructive wave interference pattern is observed based on the length of the arms of the device.

The speed of light was measured in the experiment by analyzing the interference fringes pattern that resulted when the light had passed through the two perpendicular arms of the interferometer. Michelson and Morley observed that light traveled faster along an arm which was oriented in the same direction as the ether. The light traveled at a slower pace in the arm oriented in the opposite direction.

As shown in the figure above, the interferometer featured perpendicular arms. The split light would travel at the same speed in both arms and therefore arrive simultaneously at the screen if the instrument were motionless with respect to the ether.

When the orientation of the interferometer is changed, the crests and troughs of the light waves produced in the two arms would interfere slightly out of synchronization.

The two scientists Michelson and Morley were expecting light to have different speeds when they travel in different directions, but they found no significantly distinguishing fringes that specified a different speed in any orientation or at any position of the Earth.

Lorentz in 1895, concluded that the Michelson Morley experiment produced the null result. Einstein wrote that If the Michelson–Morley experiment had not brought us into serious embarrassment, no one would have regarded the relativity theory as a (halfway) redemption.

When the Michelson Morley experiment was performed with increasing sophistication, the existence of ether and velocity of earth could not be proved.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Michelson Morley Experiment

Name the device used in michelson morley experiment..

Interferometer.

What is an interferometer?

It is a device used to measure the changing pattern of the light.

What is Luminiferous Ether?

It is the theoretical substance that acts as the medium for the transmission of electromagnetic waves.

Name the scientists who performed the experiment.

Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley.

Which theory superseded the Michelson Morley Experiment?

Special theory of relativity.

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Samuel J. Ling

Section 52.2 The Michelson-Morley Experiment

Before Einstein, it was a common assumption that there is some absolute frame with respect to which we can study all motion. The study of propagation of light challenged this assumption. The most seminal experiment was the Michelson-Morley experiment.

In the late nineteenth century scientists had difficulty believing that electromagnetic waves could travel through vacuum. They hypothesized that there must be some sort of medium in empty space whose oscillations helps light propagate. This medium was called ether . But how can we test this hypothesis?

If ether exists everywhere, then Earth must be traveling through ether. As a result, velocity of light relative to Earth will be different for light traveling in the same direction as Earth versus in the opposite direction. Assuming Galilean transformations apply, we will have the following relation between velocity \(\vec c^{\:\prime}\) of light relative to Earth, velocity \(\vec V\) of Earth relative to the ether, and velocity \(\vec c\) of light relative to ether.

Here \(c = 3\times 10^8\text{ m/s}\text{.}\) Thus, if light travels in the same direction as the motion of the Earth, then the speed of light in the Earth-frame will be \(c'=c-V\) and if the light beam travels in the opposite direction, it will be \(c'=c+V\text{.}\)

A. A. Michelson, who had invented the optical interferometer that bears his name, analyzed what will happen in his interferometer if one arm of the interferometer was parallel and the other arm was perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the Earth. He noted that he needed a sensitivity of \((V/c)^2 = 10^{-8}\) to detect the effect. His instrument was more than capable of giving this high a sensitivity.

Michelson conducted his experiments in 1881 and repeated with E. W. Morely in 1887. Both times he was disappointed to find no difference in his results which pointed to \(c' = c\text{,}\) that is, as if speed of light with respect to ether and with respect to Earth were the same or some other weird thing was taking place!

Subsection 52.2.1 Michelson-Moreley Experiment

A sketch of the Michelson interferometer is shown in Figure 52.2.1 . A beam of light is incident on a half-silvered mirror M, also called the beam splitter, which is incline at \(45^{\circ}\) to the incoming beam. The beam splitter splits the beam into two, one of which is transmitted (beam 1) and the other reflected (beam 2) at \(90^{\circ}\) to beam 1. Beams 1 and 2 reflect off mirrors M\(_1\) and M\(_2\) respectively. The returning beam 1 is partially reflected off the beam splitter in the direction of the telescope and beam 2 is partially transmitted through the beam splitter towards the telescope where the two beams overlap and interfere. If the mirrors M\(_1\) and M\(_2\) are not exactly perpendicular, one sees bright and dark fringes in the telescope as shown in the figure depending on the phase difference between the two beams.

At a place where the phase difference is an integer multiple of \(2\pi\text{,}\) we see the bright fringe and where the phase difference is an odd integer multiple of \(\pi\) we see the dark fringe. To work out the phase difference let us work out the time of travel in the two paths. Let \(\Delta t_1\) and \(\Delta t_2\) be the times for the two beams in their round trips MM\(_1\)M and MM\(_2\)M respectively. Let the arm lengths of the two sides be \(l_1\) and \(l_2\text{.}\) When beam 1 is parallel to the direction of motion of the Earth, one half of the path of beam 1 will be downstream and the other half upstream with speeds \(c+V\) and \(c-V\) respectively, where \(c\) is the speed of light relative to the purported ether, and \(V\) the speed of Earth relative to the ether. Therefore, the time \(\Delta t_1\) will be

where I have expanded the final expression in powers of \(V/c\) and kept terms only up to \(V^2/c^2\text{.}\) The time for beam 2 is a little tricky. When beam 2 leaves M, the mirror M\(_2\) is exactly in front of it, but during the time the light particles reach M\(_2\) the mirror will have moved to a different location. Similarly, on its return, the beam splitter M will have moved to a different place. Thus, MM\(_2\)M is not a straight path but is angled at M\(_2\text{.}\) The distance from M to M\(_2\) traveled by light is not equal to \(l_2\) but rather the hypotenuse of the triangle with base equal to \(\dfrac{V}{2}\Delta t_2\) and perpendicular equal to \(l_2\text{.}\) The hypotenuse will equal \(\dfrac{c}{2}\Delta t_2\) by using the speed of light perpendicular to the direction of motion of the Earth. Using Pythagora's theorem we have

Solving for \(\Delta t_2\text{,}\) keeping only the positive root we get

where I have again expanded the final expression in powers of \(V/c\) and kept terms only up to \(V^2/c^2\text{.}\) Now, we obtain the difference between the travel times \(\Delta t\) of the two beams to be

If the arms were of equal length, \(l_1 = l_2 \equiv l\text{,}\) we will get

A delay of time corresponding to a travel distance of one wavelength \(\lambda\) causes a phase difference of \(2\pi\) radians. therefore, this delay between the two paths will cause a phase difference \(\Delta \phi\) of

As an example consider \(l = 1\) m, \(\lambda = 5.89\times 10^{-7}\) m (the sodium yellow line), \(V = 3\times 10^{4}\) m/s (the orbital speed of Earth around Sun), \(c = 3\times 10^{8}\) m/s. The phase shift expected will be 0.11 rad or \(6.1^{\circ}\text{.}\) That is, if you were to stop the Earth, set up the reference fringe pattern, and then let the Earth move at 30 km/s with respect to ether, we will see a phase shift of 0.11 rad. But, there is a problem with this procedure - you cannot stop the Earth! To get around this problem, Michelson had an ingenious idea to exploit the symmetry in the two arms: If you rotate the apparatus by \(90^{\circ}\text{,}\) then beams 1 and 2 would switch positions with beam 2 now becoming parallel to the direction of the motion of the Earth. This will result in a change in delay \(\Delta(\Delta t)\) and one can watch how the fringes change.

If you have different arm lengths, we now get

As you rotate the apparatus, you will find that fringes move past cross-hair line of the telescope. For each change in delay of \(\lambda/c\text{,}\) one fringe will move past the cross-hair. Therefore, for the change in delay \(\Delta(\Delta t)\) the number of lines passing the cross-hair will be

In Michelson's first experiment in 1881 the arm length was 1.2 m. With \(\lambda = 5.89\times 10^{-7}\) m (the sodium yellow line) and \(V/c = 10^{-4}\text{,}\) the predicted number of fringes moving during the rotation of the apparatus will be

Michelson found no discernible shift in the fringe pattern when he rotated his apparatus. Michelson considered his experiment a flop since it failed to show the expected result. Six years later with the help of E. W. Morley he refined his apparatus so that the beams now reflected back and forth eight round trips, effectively making \(l_1 + l_2\) in Eq. (52.2.12) much longer, about 22 m. With sodium yellow light the expected fringe shift now was expected to be almost \(10 \times\) as large:

Michelson and Morley placed their apparatus on a heavy stone slab for stability and floated the slab on mercury so that the apparatus could be rotated continuously about a pin Figure 52.2.2 . Their apparatus was stable enough to see a shift in fringes as small as \(N = 0.01\text{.}\) However, they were unable to detect any fringe shifts despite measurements during the day, during the night, and at different times of the year. This null result is celebrated in physics as the most successful failed experiment!

Lessons from the “Failure” of Michelson-Morley Experiment

What can one conclude from the failure of Michelson and Morley to detect the drift of ether? One conclusion may be that there is no ether and the speed of light is same with respect to all observers. This conclusion at the time appeared to be too radical since it violated well-established notions of Galilean relativity. Several hypotheses were proposed to save the ideas of ether and Galilean relativity but each had some problems which could be demonstrated by experiment. Einstein working apparently without the knowledge of the Michelson-Morley experiment came to the conclusion that speed of light was same for all inertial observers. Before we study Einstein's relativity we will take a look at some aspects of Newtonian mechanics that are the fundamental sources of trouble.

	In 1887, Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley tried to measure the speed of the ether . The concept of the ether was made in analogy with other types of media in which different types of waves are able to propagate; sound waves can, for example, propagate in air or other materials. The result of the Michelson-Morley experiment was that the speed of the Earth through the ether (or the speed of the ether wind) was zero. Therefore, this experiment also showed that there is no need for any ether at all, and it appeared that the speed of light in vacuum was independent of the speed of the observer! Michelson and Morley repeated their experiment many times up until 1929, but always with the same results and conclusions. Michelson won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1907. The was a hypothetical medium in which it was believed that electromagnetic waves (visible light, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, radio waves, X-rays, Your Physicist I will answer anything from the world of physics. Michelson-Morley experiment outcomes Learn about the Michelson-Morley experiment outcomes that challenged the prevailing scientific theories of the time and marked a significant shift in the understanding of the nature of light and the properties of the universe. Michelson-Morley Experiment Outcomes Introduction. The Michelson-Morley experiment is a scientific experiment conducted in the late 19th century to detect the presence and properties of the luminiferous ether, which was thought to be the medium that light waves propagated through. The experiment was conducted by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley in 1887 at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The Experiment The Michelson-Morley experiment was designed to measure the speed of light in different directions relative to the motion of the Earth through the luminiferous ether. The experiment involved splitting a beam of light into two perpendicular beams using a half-silvered mirror. The two beams of light would then travel along perpendicular paths, bounce off mirrors, and recombine at the half-silvered mirror to create an interference pattern. The experiment was conducted at different times of the year, at different times of day, and at different angles to the Earth’s motion around the sun. If the luminiferous ether existed, the speed of light in the perpendicular direction to the Earth’s motion should have been different from the speed of light in the direction of the Earth’s motion. However, the experiment consistently showed that the speed of light was the same in all directions, regardless of the Earth’s motion. The Outcomes The outcomes of the Michelson-Morley experiment were surprising and had a significant impact on the scientific community’s understanding of the nature of light and the properties of the luminiferous ether. The experiment demonstrated that the speed of light is independent of the observer’s motion and that there is no medium for light to propagate through. The outcomes of the Michelson-Morley experiment paved the way for the development of the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein. Einstein’s theory of relativity suggests that the speed of light is constant and that space and time are relative to the observer’s motion. In conclusion, the Michelson-Morley experiment was a significant experiment that had a profound impact on the scientific community’s understanding of the nature of light and the properties of the luminiferous ether. The outcomes of the experiment paved the way for the development of the theory of relativity and have had a lasting impact on modern physics. Impact on Physics The outcomes of the Michelson-Morley experiment challenged the prevailing scientific theories of the time and marked a significant shift in the understanding of the nature of light and the properties of the universe. The experiment’s findings opened up new avenues of research in the field of physics, leading to the development of the theory of relativity and other groundbreaking discoveries. The Michelson-Morley experiment played a crucial role in the development of modern physics and laid the groundwork for many scientific discoveries and advancements. The experiment’s findings challenged the long-held beliefs of the scientific community and opened up new lines of inquiry that have led to some of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century. The Michelson-Morley experiment’s legacy is significant and far-reaching, having paved the way for modern physics and transformed our understanding of the universe. The experiment’s findings sparked a scientific revolution that has led to numerous advancements in technology, medicine, and other fields of study. Today, the Michelson-Morley experiment is widely recognized as one of the most important experiments in the history of science. Its findings continue to inspire new research and discoveries and have played a critical role in shaping our understanding of the universe. In conclusion, the Michelson-Morley experiment was a groundbreaking scientific experiment that challenged the prevailing theories of the time and transformed our understanding of the nature of light and the properties of the universe. Its legacy continues to inspire new research and discoveries and has played a critical role in shaping modern physics and our understanding of the world around us. Talk to our experts 1800-120-456-456 Michelson Morley Experiment Waves of Light and Sound Physics is the science of every physical phenomenon we come across in our daily life. From the very beginning, we have learnt about the light and sound that we experience easily. Scientists through various experiments and observations have established the fact that light and sound are electromagnetic waves that travel in waves. Sound waves require a medium to travel while light waves do not need any medium. It can move as effectively as in air as well as in gasses. You must all be familiar with the waves that we see on the water surface when a stone or any object is thrown into it. At the end of the 19th century, some scientists were curious to know and hypothesised that light, as a transmitting wave, requires a medium as well to travel and it can't travel in a vaccum They suggested the presence of a very special matter called aether in outer space with some distinct characteristics that don't create any drag force against any object moving through it, be it a physical object or light. Since then various experiments have been conducted by many scientists to prove this fact but no one has ever succeeded. The Experiment of Michelson Morley Michelson Morley was the pioneer in this field of study. His prediction was based on the fact that sound and light being similar kinds of waves travel at different speeds. He strongly believed that the light waves also travel at different speeds in ether relative to that in a vacuum. And any medium having a density will change the direction of light passing through it due to the phenomenon of refraction. He had also developed an interferometer to experiment on the arriving light beams and prove his theory. What is the Michelson Morley Experiment? Sound waves require some medium through which these waves can travel. Maxwell in 1864 showed that light is an electromagnetic wave and hence was supposed that there is an ether that propagates light rays. By observing how light propagates through the ether, one can determine an absolute reference frame. Hence, the Michelson Morley experiment was accomplished to detect ether that was assumed to be the carrier of light waves. The purpose of the Michelson and Morley experiment was to detect the velocity of the Earth to ether. The procedure was based on the optical device named interferometer that compares the path lengths for light rays travelling in perpendicular directions.   Describe Michelson Morley Experiment According to Michelson’s experiment theory, the light should travel at different speeds through ether. The speed at which light moves depends on the relative motion through space. Michelson Morley designed an interferometer to spot minute differences in the arrival time of light beams. Out of all these beams, one can take a long time to reach the sensor while travelling through ether.   The experiment compared the speed of light to notice the relative motion of Earth through ether. However, the conclusion of the Michelson Morley experiment comes out to be negative. It means that they found no difference between the speed of light while travelling through ether. Michelson Morley interferometer sent white light for the actual observations and yellow light from a sodium flame through a half-transparent mirror. The mirror was used to split the coming light beam into two separate beams travelling perpendicular to each other. After leaving this mirror, beams moved out to the long arms end where they faced back reflection into the middle. These two beams then recombine to produce a pattern of constructive and destructive interference.  The Procedure of Michelson Morley Experiment Michelson claimed that if the speed of light was constant concerning the ether medium through which the Earth moves, then that motion can be detected. It can be sensed by comparing the speed of light perpendicular to and in the direction of the Earth’s motion. The details of Michelson experiment set-up are: The beam of light gets incident to a half-silvered glass plate. This plate acts as a beam splitter, which splits the light beam into two coherent beams. One beam transmits, and the other reflects. The beam transmitted strikes the mirror, say, M 1 , and gets reflected. The beam reflected strikes the mirror, say, M 2 , which again gets reflected. The returned beams reach the telescope, which is used for interference patterns produced by these two rays.  The separation between the plate and two mirrors is the same, which refers to the arm’s length. The light reflected from two mirrors interfere with the mirror.  Now, from the Michelson Morley experiment notes, it can be noticed that the apparatus and light both are moving in the same direction. Thus, the relative velocity will be c - v. After reflection, the apparatus, and light both move in the opposite direction. Hence, in this case, relative velocity will become c + v.  Let Us Calculate the Time Taken by the Transmitted Ray to Travel to the Mirror: \[T_1 = \frac{L}{c - v}\] \[T_2 = \frac{L}{c + v}\] \[T_l = T_1 + T_2\] \[T_l = \frac{L}{c - v} + \frac{L}{c + v}\] \[T_l = \frac{(L \times (c + v)) + (L \times (c - v))}{c^2 - v^2} \] \[T_l = \frac{Lc + Lv + Lc - Lv}{c^2 - v^2} \] \[T_l = \frac{2Lc}{c^2 - v^2} \] \[T_l = L \begin{bmatrix} \frac{2c}{c^2 - v^2} \end{bmatrix} \] \[T_l = \frac{L}{c^2} \begin{bmatrix} \frac{2c}{1 -  \frac{v^2}{c^2}} \end{bmatrix} \] \[T_l = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} 1 -  \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix}^{-1} \] Applying Binomial Theorem on the above equation and neglecting higher power terms gives: \[T_l = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} 1 +  \frac{c^2}{v^2} \end{bmatrix} \] Now, time taken by the reflected ray to travel to mirror: \[T_t  = \frac{L}{\begin{bmatrix} c^2  - v^2 \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}}} + \frac{L}{\begin{bmatrix} c^2  + v^2 \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}}} \] \[T_t  = \frac{2Lc}{\begin{bmatrix} c^2  - v^2 \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}}}\] \[T_t = \frac{2Lc}{\begin{bmatrix} c^2  - v^2 \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}}}\] \[T_t = \frac{L}{c^2} \begin{bmatrix} \frac{2c}{1 -  \frac{v^2}{c^2}} \end{bmatrix} ^{\frac{1}{2}} \] \[T_t = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} \frac{1}{1 -  \frac{v^2}{c^2}} \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}} \] \[T_t = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} 1 -  \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{-1}{2}} \] Similarly, applying Binomial Theorem: \[T_t = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} 1 +  \frac{v^2}{2c^2} \end{bmatrix}^{\frac{1}{2}} \] Michelson Morley experiment derivation indicates the time difference between two rays: \[\Delta t = T_l - T_t\] Using the values of T l and T t : \[\Delta t = \frac{2L}{c} \begin{bmatrix} 1 + \frac{v^2}{c^2} - 1 - \frac{v^2}{2c^2} \end{bmatrix}\] \[\Delta t = \frac{l}{c} \times \begin{bmatrix} \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix} \] After the first attempt, the apparatus is rotated clockwise to 90-degree so that two mirrors can exchange their position. Now the time difference between two mirrors can be given by: \[\Delta t’ = - \frac{l}{c} \times \begin{bmatrix} \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix} \] Due to the rotation of apparatus, there is a delay in time, which is given by: \[ \Delta t - \Delta t’ = \frac{2L}{c}  \times \begin{bmatrix} \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix} \] This time delay causes the fringe pattern to move. Let N denote the total amount of fringe shift, which can be calculated as: \[N = \frac{\Delta \delta}{2 \pi}\] \[N = \frac{2L}{\lambda}  \times \begin{bmatrix} \frac{v^2}{c^2} \end{bmatrix} \] The major objective of the Michael Morley experiment was to verify the ether hypothesis. The experiment has been repeated several times but there was no particular conclusion of the Michelson-Morley experiment. FAQs on Michelson Morley Experiment 1. What is Michelson Morley Interferometer? Michelson designed a device named interferometer that consists of a half-silvered mirror oriented at 45-degree angles to the light beam. When light passes, it gets split into two equal parts. One of these beams gets reflected in a movable mirror, and another one transmits to the fixed mirror. This mirror shows the same effect on the returning beams, that is, split them into two beams. As a result, two beams reach the screen, and interference patterns are observed by changing the position of the mirror. This interferometer was used by Michelson and Morley in their experiment to compare the path length of light beams. 2. What is interferometry? When two electromagnetic waves of the same nature are produced from different sources and superimposed then there is an interference of the waves. These interferences show certain special characteristics and tell a lot about its origin and source. Scientists also study these interferences to determine some unknown information occurring on a subtle and tiny level. The device that is used to analyse these interferences is called Interferometers. It has got some wide industrial use in determining the microscopic displacements inside delicate objects. The technique used by these instruments is known as interferometry.  3. What is refraction? All the properties of light have been studied in detail in the subject of natural physics. One of the most interesting characteristics of light is it can travel through some special type of matter which is transparent material such as glass and water. It can also travel partially in some particular type of material known as translucent materials. But the peculiarity of light that is observed is it changes its direction while it travels in from one medium of transparent material to another. It also mostly depends on the density of the material. This phenomenon of light is known as refraction. 4. What do we mean by aether? Since ancient times various scholars and researchers have postulated the presence of a medium in space for the propagation of light. Later when it was found that light is an electromagnetic wave or radiation then this hypothesis gained more support. Scholars of that time suggested this by observing the waves travelling on the surface of the water. In later days of the 17th century, Robert Boyle again revived this theory citing the various other phenomena occurring in space such as magnetism and irregular movement of celestial bodies. He termed the word aether to describe the tiny particles that he believed is present in space. 5. Is the ether hypothesis of Michael Morley proved? The hypothesis of the presence of aether in space is an age-old concept that was later adopted by some in the European scientific community. After Robert Boyle revived it Michael Morley tried to prove it physically by performing an experiment. Though he was not successful, many scientists have tried to prove it by experimenting with the hypothesis in other methods. But to our dismay, no one has yet been able to prove this concept and it still remains discarded by the mainstream scientific community of the world. 6. Why Does Michael Morley's Experiment Show a Negative Result? The negative result of the Michael Morley experiment was given by two explanations, namely, ether theory and light velocity hypothesis. According to Ether Drag theory, the moving bodies drag the surrounding ether with them. Hence, no conclusion came from this experiment to claim if there is any relative motion between Earth and ether. The other was the Light Velocity hypothesis. It says that the velocity of light coming from a moving source is the vector sum of the velocity of light and source light. However, this hypothesis was also rejected after inspecting some evidence. Moreover, Einstein claimed that the motion through the ether medium is a pointless concept, and hence the experiment failed. 415 IMAGES Michelson-Morley experiment Michelson Morley Experiment and Aberration Michelson Morley Experiment Special Relativity 1: The Michaelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley Experiment Michelson-Morley Interferometer Experiment of 1887: "Null" Result VIDEO Michelson-Morley experiment(Part-I) (Lecture-X) by Ravindra sir The Michelson-Morley Experiment Michelson Morley Experiment How the Michelson-Morley Experiment Shattered the Prevailing Theories of Physics Michelson Morley Experiment and The Special Theory of Relativity Michelson-Morley experiment. Explained in Bengali. (মাইকেলসন -মর্লির পরীক্ষা).physicsfy COMMENTS Michelson-Morley experiment The Michelson-Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, [A 1] a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves. The experiment was performed between April and July 1887 by American physicists Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley at what is now Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland ... Michelson-Morley experiment Michelson-Morley experiment, an attempt to detect the velocity of Earth with respect to the hypothetical luminiferous ether, a medium in space proposed to carry light waves. No such velocity was detected, and this result seriously discredited ether theories. Michelson-Morley Experiment: Explanation, Apparatus & Result Experimental Arrangement of Michelson-Morley Experiment To the effect of ether on the speed of light, Michelson designed a device now known as an interferometer. It is a sensitive optical device that compares the optical path lengths for light moving in two mutually perpendicular directions and utilized the interference of light waves to perform measurements of incredible accuracy. It sent a ... Light Light - Michelson-Morley, Experiment, Wave-Particle: The German-born American physicist A.A. Michelson set the early standard for measurements of the speed of light in the late 1870s, determining a speed within 0.02 percent of the modern value. Michelson's most noteworthy measurements of the speed of light, however, were yet to come. From the first speculations on the wave nature of light by ... PDF The Michelson-Morley Experiment Detecting the Aether Wind: the Michelson-Morley Experiment. Detecting the aether wind was the next challenge Michelson set himself after his triumph in measuring the speed of light so accurately. Naturally, something that allows solid bodies to pass through it freely is a little hard to get a grip on. Michelson-Morley experiment explained by means of five methods The Michelson-Morley experiment (MME) is still important to physics, and not just to the history of physics. The hypothesis of contraction of bodies in the direction of their motion arose as an ad hoc hypothesis about the "contraction" of the Michelson's interferometer arm in the direction of its motion. Even today this experiment is the "strongest argument" of this hypothesis, and of time ... History of the Michelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth through the luminous ether. Though often called the Michelson-Morley experiment, the phrase actually refers to a series of experiments carried out by Albert Michelson in 1881 and then again (with better equipment) at Case Western University in 1887 along with chemist Edward Morley. Though the ultimate result was ... The Michelson-Morley Experiment, the Luminiferous Ether, and Precision The Michelson-Morley Experiment, the Luminiferous Ether, and Precision MeasurementOverviewIn 1887 Albert A. Michelson (1852-1931) and Edward W. Morley (1838-1923) performed what has become one of the most famous physics experiments in history. Using an extremely sensitive optical instrument—the interferometer—they attempted to measure Earth's velocity with respect to the luminiferous ether ... Michelson-Morley Experiment Repeated over the next 40 years with ever greater precision and the same negative result, this 1887 experiment is pointed to as one of the experimental foundations of relativity, and earned Michelson the Nobel Prize in 1907. While proponents for the existence of a medium in space, an "ether", still exist, the standard position is that there is ... Lecture 3.3: Michelson-Morley Experiment Lecture 3.3: Michelson-Morley Experiment Description: We are building a case against the ether hypothesis starting with the Michelson-Morley experiment. (05:38) Lessons From the Michelson-Morley Experiment Lessons From the Michelson-Morley Experiment This year marks the centenary of one of the most important scientific experiments ever performed It was in Cleveland, Ohio in 1887 that Albert A. Michelson and Edward W Morley undertook a measurement that was a milestone in man's effort to understand the way in which light travels through space. The Michelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley Experiment. Performed in Cleveland in 1887, this famous experiment disproved the hypothesis of a stationary "luminiferous ether." The problems it posed led indirectly to ... PDF Niels Bohr Library & Archives Michelson and Morley—native Motion of the 387 The first named difficulties were entirely overcome by mount- light to about ten times its former value. The apparatus is represented in perspective in fig. 3, in plan in fig. 4, and in vertical section in fig. 5. The stone a (fig. 5)is about 1-5 meter square and 0-3 meter thick. It rests on an annular wooden float bb, 1-5 meter outside diameter ... Michelson Morley Experiment Michelson Morley experiment explains the concept of velocity of earth through the luminiferous ether. Visit BYJU'S - The Learning App to know more about the Michelson Morley Experiment. The Michelson-Morley Experiment Michelson-Morely experiment set-up. At a place where the phase difference is an integer multiple of 2π, 2 π, we see the bright fringe and where the phase difference is an odd integer multiple of π π we see the dark fringe. To work out the phase difference let us work out the time of travel in the two paths. Let Δt1 Δ t 1 and Δt2 Δ t 2 ... Michelson-Morley Experiment Morley's later research dealt with the density and weight of gases, which resulted in his definitive chemical method of determining atomic weights. Throughout his life, Michelson was known as a person who loved education, and who inspired others who would themselves emerge into inspiring teachers, physicists, and inventors. PDF MITOCW MITOCW | 3.3 Michelson-Morley Experiment ... The result of the experiment was there was no effect. They tried-- they improved the experiment. They tried to find smaller effects. They didn't find any. The reason for this is that there is no aether. But we can use this now to make a case against the aether. The Michelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley Experiment In 1887, Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley tried to measure the speed of the ether . The concept of the ether was made in analogy with other types of media in which different types of waves are able to propagate; sound waves can, for example, propagate in air or other materials. Michelson-Morley experiment outcomes The Michelson-Morley experiment was designed to measure the speed of light in different directions relative to the motion of the Earth through the luminiferous ether. The experiment involved splitting a beam of light into two perpendicular beams using a half-silvered mirror. The two beams of light would then travel along perpendicular paths ... The Michelson-Morley Experiment Detecting the Aether Wind: the Michelson-Morley Experiment Detecting the aether wind was the next challenge Michelson set himself after his triumph in measuring the speed of light so accurately. Naturally, something that allows solid bodies to pass through it freely is a little hard to get a grip on. Michelson Morley Experiment Learn about Michelson Morley experiment topic of Physics in details explained by subject experts on vedantu.com. Register free for online tutoring session to clear your doubts. Michelson interferometer The Michelson interferometer (among other interferometer configurations) is employed in many scientific experiments and became well known for its use by Michelson and Edward Morley in the famous Michelson-Morley experiment (1887) [1] in a configuration which would have detected the Earth's motion through the supposed luminiferous aether that most physicists at the time believed was the ... 10 Astonishing Facts About Michelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley Experiment, conducted in 1887 by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley, aimed to detect the existence of the luminiferous aether, a hypothetical medium believed to carry light waves. The surprising outcome of the experiment revolutionized the field of physics and paved the way for Einstein's theory of relativity. essay homework paper phd project resume review speech thesis