• DOI:10.2475/ajs.s3-22.128.120
• Corpus ID: 130423116

The relative motion of the Earth and of the luminiferous ether

@article{MichelsonTheRM,
  title={The relative motion of the Earth and of the luminiferous ether},
  author={Albert Abraham Michelson},
  journal={American Journal of Science},
  volume={s3-22},
  pages={120 - 129}
}

• A. Michelson
• Published 1 August 1881
• Physics
• American Journal of Science

THE undulatory theor.Y of light assumes the existence of a medium called the ethel', whose vibrations produce the phenomena of heat and light, and which is supposed to fill all space. According to Fresnel, the ethel', which is enclosed in optical media, partakes of the motion of these media, to an extent depending on their indices of refraction. For ail', this motion would be but a small fmction o£ that of the air itself and will be neglected . .Assuming then that the ether. is at rest, the earth moving through it, the time required fol' light to pass £l'Om one point to another on the earth's surface, would depend on the direction in which it travels, Let V be the velocity of light, v = the speed of the earth with respect to the ethel'. D = the distance between the two points. cl = the distance through which the earth moves, while light travels from one point to the other. d, = the distanee earLh moves, while light passes in the opposite direction. Suppose the direction of the line joining the two points to coincide with the direction of eal'th's motion, and let T = time required fOI' light to pass f!'Om the one point to the other, and '1', = time required £01' it to pass in the opposite direction. Further, let To = time required to perform the joul'lley if the earth were at rest. 'l'hen '1'= Dtd = ~; aud T,= D v!! = ~