Knowledge

2/15/15
The MichelsonMorley experiment was published in 1887 by Albert A. Michelson and Edward W.
Morley and performed at what is now Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It
attempted to detect the relative motion of matter through the stationary luminiferous aether ("aether
wind"). The negative results are generally considered to be the first strong evidence against the
then-prevalent aether theory, and initiated a line of research that eventually led to special relativity,
in which the stationary aether concept has no role. The experiment has been referred to as "the
moving-off point for the theoretical aspects of the Second Scientific Revolution".
***In the late 19th century, luminiferous aether, ther or ether, meaning light-bearing aether, was
the postulated medium for the propagation (wave movement) of light.
***Following the negative outcome of aether-drift experiments like the MichelsonMorley experiment,
the concept of aether as a mechanical medium having a state of motion lost adherents. It has been
replaced in modern physics by the theory of relativity and quantum theory.
2/22/15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Munch