Michelson–Morley experiment
E5002
The Michelson–Morley experiment was a landmark 1887 physics experiment that attempted to detect the Earth's motion through the hypothesized luminiferous aether and whose null result helped pave the way for Einstein's theory of special relativity.
Aliases (2)
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical scientific experiment
→
interferometry experiment → physics experiment → |
| aimedTo |
detect the Earth’s motion through the luminiferous aether
→
measure differences in the speed of light due to aether wind → |
| challenged |
luminiferous aether hypothesis
→
|
| conclusion |
no detectable aether drift
→
|
| conductedBy |
Albert A. Michelson
→
Edward W. Morley → |
| considered |
one of the most important null results in physics
→
|
| contradicted |
aether wind predictions
→
|
| country |
United States
→
|
| endDate |
1887-07-31
→
|
| field |
optics
→
physics → relativity → |
| found |
no significant difference in the speed of light in different directions
→
|
| influenced |
Albert Einstein
→
special relativity → |
| legacy |
paved the way for modern relativity theory
→
undermined classical aether theories → |
| location |
Case School of Applied Science
→
Cleveland, Ohio → |
| preceded |
Einstein’s 1905 paper on special relativity
→
|
| precision |
one of the most precise optical experiments of the 19th century
→
|
| publication |
On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether
→
|
| publicationYear |
1887
→
|
| publishedIn |
American Journal of Science
→
|
| relatedConcept |
Galilean relativity
→
Lorentz contraction → Lorentz transformations → aether theory → invariance of the speed of light → |
| relatedTo |
Ives–Stilwell experiment
→
Kennedy–Thorndike experiment → Trouton–Noble experiment → |
| result |
null result
→
|
| startDate |
1887-07-01
→
|
| supported |
constancy of the speed of light in all directions
→
|
| usedComponent |
half-silvered mirror
→
light source → optical mirrors → orthogonal interferometer arms → |
| usedInstrument |
Michelson interferometer
→
|
| usedMedium |
light in air
→
|
| usedMethod |
optical interferometry
→
|
| year |
1887
→
|
Referenced by (11)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Ives–Stilwell experiment
→
Kennedy–Thorndike experiment → On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies → Trouton–Noble experiment → |
relatedTo |
|
Albert A. Michelson
→
Case School of Applied Science → |
knownFor |
|
Albert A. Michelson
→
Edward W. Morley → |
notableWork |
|
Kennedy–Thorndike experiment
("Michelson–Morley experiment with equal arms")
→
|
comparedWith |
|
Michelson–Morley experiment
("On the Relative Motion of the Earth and the Luminiferous Ether")
→
|
publication |
|
Michelson interferometer
→
|
usedInExperiment |