English

The Michelson and Morley 1887 Experiment and the Discovery of Absolute Motion

General Physics 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

Physics textbooks assert that in the famous interferometer 1887 experiment to detect absolute motion Michelson and Morley saw no rotation-induced fringe shifts - the signature of absolute motion; it was a null experiment. However this is incorrect. Their published data revealed to them the expected fringe shifts, but that data gave a speed of some 8km/s using a Newtonian theory for the calibration of the interferometer, and so was rejected by them solely because it was less than the 30km/s orbital speed of the earth. A 2002 post relativistic-effects analysis for the operation of the device however gives a different calibration leading to a speed >300km/s. So this experiment detected both absolute motion and the breakdown of Newtonian physics. So far another six experiments have confirmed this first detection of absolute motion in 1887.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/0508174,
  title  = {The Michelson and Morley 1887 Experiment and the Discovery of Absolute Motion},
  author = {Reginald T. Cahill},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0508174},
  year   = {2007}
}

Comments

Latex, 11 pages, 5 eps figures