The Principle of Relativity: Original Papers by An; Einstein and H. Minkowski (Classic Reprint): Original Papers (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

Excerpt from The Principle of Relativity: Original Papers by An; Einstein and H. Minkowski

Aragd nprism experiment. The refractive index of a glass prism depends on the incident velocity of light outside the prism and its velocity inside the prism after refraction. On Fresnels fixed ether hypothesis, the incident light waves are situated in the stationary ether outside the prism and move with velocity cwith respect to the ether. If the prism moves with a velocity uwith respect to this fixed ether, then the incident velocity of light with respect to the prism should be C+ H.Thus the refractive index of the glass prism should depend on, the absolute velocity of the prism, i.e., its velocity with respect to the fixed ether. Arago performed the experiment in 1819, but failed to detect the expected change. AiryBoacovitci water-telescope experiment. Boscovitch had still earlier in i7b t, raised the very important question of the dependence of aberration on the refractive index of the medium filling the telescope. Aberration depends on the difference in the velocity of light outside the telescope and its velocity inside the telescope. If the latter velocity changes owing to a change in the medium filling the telescope, aberration itself should change, that is, aberration should depend on the nature of the medium. Airy, in 1871 filled up a telescope with water but failed to detect any change in the aberration. Thus we get both in the case of Arago prim experiment and Airy-Boscovitch water-telescope experiment, the very startling result that optical effects in a moving medium seem to be quite independent of the velocity of the medium with respect to Fresnels stationary ether. Fresnels conrection coefficient = x 2.Possibly some form of compensation is taking place. Vorking on this hypothesis, Fresnel Offered his famous ether convection

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.