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Lecture Four. Attempts to Save Ether Hypothesis. Status. Michelson-Morley experiment shows null result. Attempts to Save Ether before Special Relativity. Contraction Hypothesis Ether-Drag Hypothesis Modify Electrodynamics. Contraction Hypothesis. Fitzgeral (1892) Lorentz
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Status Michelson-Morley experiment shows null result.
Attempts to Save Etherbefore Special Relativity • Contraction Hypothesis • Ether-Drag Hypothesis • Modify Electrodynamics
Contraction Hypothesis • Fitzgeral(1892) • Lorentz Length is contracted in the direction of motion.
Ether-Drag Hypothesis contradicted with • Stellar aberration (Bradley 1727) • Fizeau convection coefficient (Fresnel 1817, Fizeau 1857)
Fizeau Experiment velocity of light v in a medium of refractive index n moving with a velocity vw
Modify Electrodynamics Emission Theories The velocity of a light wave is connected with the motion of the source rather than with an ether.
Modify Electrodynamics Emission Theories • The velocity of light is c relative to the original source. • This velocity is independent of the state of the medium transmitting the light.
Emission Theories are contradicted with • de Sitter observations on binary stars • Michelson-Morley experiment using extraterrestrial light source
Conclusions • The speed of light is the same in all inertial systems, independent of the relative motion of source and observer. • A relativity principle applicable both to mechanics and to electrodynamics.
Conclusions • Galilean transformations must be replaced. • The laws of mechanics which were consistent with Galilean transformations needs to be modified.
Special Relativity Einstein 1905 “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies”
Two Postulates • Principle of Relativity • Principle of Constancy of Speed of Light
Principle of Relativity • include alllaws of physics • no measurements to designate an inertial system as intrinsically stationary or moving
Principle of Relativity • no experiment entirely within an inertial system can tell the motion with respect to any other.
Principle of Constancyof Speed of Light • consistent with Michelson-Morley experiment
Program of the Theory • nature of time • transformation keeping velocity of light constant • Lorentz transformation
Einstein • In his early life none of his “elders” recognized his genius. • Until almost thirty he had never seen a real theoretical physicists, “except in the mirror!”
Einstein • statistical mechanics • atomic nature of matter • special relativity • principle of equivalence • light quanta hypothesis • specific heat of solids
Einstein 1905 • Quantum theory of light • Brownian motion • Special Relativity
Einstein • not in the mainstream • nature of time • abandoned Newton’s universal time