The theory is something like this: Space is pervaded by
luminiferous ether, which is a material thing--as much a substance as air or water, though almost infinitely more attenuated.
For anything we know to the contrary, the visible universe may be a small part of an atom, with its component ions, floating in the life- fluid (
luminiferous ether) of some animal.
The highlight of my introductory physics course on special relativity some decades ago was the story of how Albert Einstein discarded the
luminiferous aether, the postulated medium for the propagation of light.
Hicks (1885) "On the Constitution of the
Luminiferous Ether on the Vortex Atom Theory", p.
Since the assumption that an ether is dragged by the earth was experimentally refuted [75, 76], no theory reposing on the postulate of constant light velocity relative to pure space or a
luminiferous medium in it can explain successive beams impinging on the disk at the same spot.
Invited to a function at the Buckleys, he was immediately smitten with "the
luminiferous Mrs.
If further scrutiny turns out to contradict the existence of certain theoretical particles, cosmic strings, or stable wormholes, out they go like the
luminiferous aether once believed to permeate all regions of space.
The best example of this is the Michelson-Morley experiment to test for
luminiferous aether.
Morley, "On the relative motion of the Earth and the
luminiferous ether," American Journal of Science, vol.
At the time when Maxwell was devising his theory of electromagnetism it was thought that the universe was filled with a substance called the
luminiferous aether, which was thought to be the medium by which natural light travelled through space.
A luminous body imparts vibration to the
luminiferous ether.
No, no, it's culture--the phlogiston, the
luminiferous ether of modern social-science theorizing: "Our culture changes people from introverted lab rats,' as one researcher explained to me, 'into full-blown entrepreneurs.'" Does it?