
RQ25 Please enter your name:
1. Keith Graham
2. Jeff Costello
3. Colby Rikcer
4. Laura Bender
5. Richard Petroni
6. R. Jeff Bloch
7. Tom Cassidy
8. Drew Calvert
9. Chris Barker
10. Megan Fulop
11. Patrick Feng
12. Megan Evanoka
13. Dan Speir
14. Tim Hinkle
15. Rachael Garrison
What did the Michelson-Morley experiment TRY to do, and what did it ACTUALLY show?
1. It tried to measure the earth's speed through ether. It did this by sending electromagnetic waves away from earth
and measuring their speeds. The waves all had the same speeds, which would indicate the earth was at rest in
the ether. This didn't make sense because the earth is constantly moving. It actually showed that ether doesn't
exist and that electromagnetic waves can travel through space.
2. This experiment tried to find a state of absolute rest for eletromagnetic phenomena by measuring the speed of
the earth through the ether. By measuring the speed of electromagnetic waves and finding that they are all the
same the ended up determining that the ether doesnt exist, electromeagnetic waves don't need a medium to
travel through, and we can't determine one's speed through a vacuum.
3. The experiment tried to measure the speed of earth through the use of relative velocity. It ended up indicating
that there was no "ether" and that electromagnetic waves moved through vacum
4. The experiment tried to find a state of absolute rest for electromagnetic phenomena- tried to find the earth's
speed through the ether (the medium for movement through space). It actually showed that it was impossible to
measure the speed of the earth through the ether because the ether did not exist (Einstein figured that out)
5. It tried to show a state of rest for electromagnetic phemonena. it actutally showed that the ethra substance that
they were looking fo di not exists and that in a vacum speeds can not be measured.
6. The Michelson-Morley experiment tried to discover the velocity of the earth by comparing the speed of light in
two different directions; parallel and perpendicular to the earth's motion around the sun. Unfortunately, it was
discovered that there was no difference in these speeds. As a result, Einstein proposed that the speed of light is
a universal constant.
7. The Michelson-Morley experiment was designed to find a state of absolute rest for electromagnetic reactions.
Their experiment proved that all waves need a substance to propagate through. The experiment discovered the
medium through which waves travel.
8. It tried to calculate the speed of the earth, moving through the supposed medium which was called the ether.
Using the analogy of other waves, they presumed that light would act the same way. However, it was proven
that the earth does not mover through this ether because the ether doesnt exist. Light may travel through a
vacuum.
9. It tried to show that one could determine the speed of the earth by the variations in the speed of electromagnetic
waves in the "ether". It showed that there were no variations in the electromagnetic waves, and therefore led
towards proving that the "ether" did not exist.
10. This experiment tried to find a state of absolute rest for electromagnetic phenomena. It actually showed that
electromagnetic waves require a medium and in turn, we found that we cannot determine our speed because it
is impossible to determine one's speed through a vaccuum.
11. It tried to test for the existence of "ether" ie space time median. It actually showed that there was no evidence for
such a existence.
12. It tried to determine the speed of the earth through the ether by measuring the relative speed of the
electromagnetic waves traveling in different directions. What they ended up actually proving.. which Einstein
later discovered.. was that there is in fact NO ETHER, it does not exist.