Frequently Asked Questions
Series #9
Series #9
It is generally believed that the Michelson-Morley
Experiment is a test to verify whether light takes the same time to
travel an equal distance along the direction parallel
to the velocity of the frame, than in the transverse
direction. In the Michelson-Morley
Experiment
it is believed that a null result "proves" that the velocity of light
is the same in both directions, as measured in the moving frame.
There
is so much confidence in the demonstration done by Michelson in 1887,
that nobody bothers to make a thorough re-examination of that
demonstration. In fact, if a paper is publish on that subject,
nobody
reads it, since all readers are convinced that nothing significantly
new is expected to come out of such a paper. It is believed that the
demonstration published by Michelson and Morley in the journal: "The
American Journal of Physics" in November 1887 is obviously
correct.
The
Michelson-Morley
demonstration is done using the analogy between the light trajectory
traveling on perpendicular paths and a pair of swimmers, swimming crosswise
and parallel
to the water flow. Readers are so greatly fascinated by that
comparison, that they overlook searching for differences. In fact
there are at least two vital differences.
1--- In the case of the swimmers in the flowing river, there is
absolute nothing corresponding to the reflection of light on
mirrors.
Due to the current flow of water, it is clear that the angle of
reflection of light on mirrors cannot be calculated in a reliable way,
by analogy with the swimmers near the shore. The swimmers
are not
reflected back in water.
2 --- There is also another totally missing analogy with the moving
swimmers in the river. That is the half-transparent mirror, at 45
degrees, in the Michelson-Morley
experiment. Using the swimmers analogy, it is impossible to
calculate reliably, in what direction the moving mirror at 45 degrees
in the Michelson-Morley
experiment, will reflect light. Therefore that problem has been
ignored.
These two problems have been totally overlooked by Michelson-Morley.
Absolutely nothing is mentioned, so that
these problems have been totally ignored. Even worse, these
problems have also been totally ignored
in all papers written in the full century following the 1887
Michelson-Morley’s paper.
-
These problems have been considered recently in a new paper entitled: “The Overlooked
Phenomena in the Michelson-Morley Experiment.”
It
can be found on the Web at:
http://www.newtonphysics.on.ca/michelson/index.html
-
In this paper, we find how these phenomena, as well as the Bradley
Aberration of light, modify the light path inside the Michelson-Morley
apparatus. Due to the overlooked phenomena in the interferometer,
and
therefore contrary to Michelson-Morley calculation, it is demonstrated
that classical physics requires that light does not remain parallel to
the X and Y axis of the interferometer. Consequently, the
distance
traveled by light in each direction, inside the interferometer, is not
what Michelson and Morley have calculated. It is demonstrated
that due
to the velocity of the semi-transparent mirror, there is a slight
change of direction of light, which makes the light path longer inside
the interferometer.
One must conclude that, assuming a classical absolute frame of
reference, as understood by Michelson and Morley, their apparatus
cannot show any drift of interference fringes when the apparatus is
rotated. In order to be compatible with the Einstein’s space-time
distortion, the Michelson-Morley should show a drift of interference
fringes. We know that the drift of interference fringes, having
the
amplitude predicted by Michelson-Morley, does not exist.
-
There is also another experiment testing the
asymmetric distortion of space.
It is the Brillet-Hall
experiment. We can also see that this experiment is perfectly
compatible with Galilean space, contrary to Einstein's relativity.
One must conclude that the Michelson-Morley
results and the Brillet-Hall
experiment disprove Einstein’s relativity.
We hope that someone will bother to read
carefully the paper:
"The Overlooked Phenomena in the
Michelson-Morley Experiment"
at:
http://www.newtonphysics.on.ca/michelson/index.html
and
"Design Error in the Brillet and Hall’s
Experiment"
at:
http://www.newtonphysics.on.ca/brillet_hall/index.html
before the end of the 21st century.
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