Talk:Michelson-Morley experiment

http://www.nobel.se/physics/laureates/index

Any info?

I wonder that there is not mentioned if Michelson-Morley experiment was originally executed in a vacuum, so it was executed in the air?

Does anyone know if there is any difference in results if the experiment is executed in the air or in a vacuum, so that the interference pattern does not change in either cases when rotating the Michelson interferometer? What about if the air is replaced with the water?

- TS

The original experiment was performed in air. Later versions of the experiment where performed at varying altitudes (to determine whether the aether might be being "dragged" around at the earth's surface), as well as in vacuum pumped tubes (1925); all gave essentially the same results. Chas zzz brown 23:39 Mar 11, 2003 (UTC)

Is the experiment performed so that light beams go through water or other medium, in which speed of light is significantly smaller than in vacuum? What is the result? It is quite clear that if photons (or other information carriers) travel at speed << c in the apparatus, then null result must imply. But if all these lead to null result, M-M experiments with different mediums does not support the Special Theory of Relativity, they contradict it?

- TS

This isn't really the place to discuss this. Talk pages are for improving the encyclopedia, not discussing the subject. A more appropriate forum would be the newsgroup sci.physics.relativity (news:sci.physics.relativity) - a newsgroup founded specifically for "Einstein was wrong" discussions. -- Tim Starling 11:49 Mar 12, 2003 (UTC)

Sorry, I didn't notice. But if the name of the game is to improve the encyclopedia, it would be nice if there was a link or explanation of cases where the Michelson-Morley experiment is performed with various mediums (especially water) for light propagation.

- TS

You might find this (http://www.e-insite.net/ednmag/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA217670) helpful. -- Tim Starling 13:27 Mar 12, 2003 (UTC)