What Did Fizeau's Experiment Reveal About Motion and Ether?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Fizeau's experiment and its implications regarding motion and the ether. Participants explore the experiment's results and their interpretations, particularly concerning whether moving bodies communicate their motion to the ether, as well as comparisons with special relativity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants request descriptions and links to Fizeau's experiment, specifically seeking to understand its conclusions about motion and ether.
  • One participant argues that the logic surrounding the conclusions drawn from the experiment is incomplete, referencing Hertz and suggesting further reading from Whittaker's work.
  • Another participant notes that while the results of Fizeau's experiment and special relativity yield similar outcomes, there exists a small offset that is challenging to detect.
  • Concerns are raised about the forum rules regarding self-promotion, particularly in relation to a theory referred to as "wisp" theory, which is described as clearly wrong by one participant.
  • A participant shares a link to a page that purportedly contains a good explanation of the experiment and its mathematics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of Fizeau's experiment, with some questioning the completeness of the logic used to interpret the results. There is no consensus on whether moving bodies communicate their motion to the ether.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on assumptions that are not fully articulated, and there are unresolved mathematical aspects related to the small offset between the results of Fizeau's experiment and special relativity.

Reshma
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Can someone describe/provide links to Fizeau's experiment and show that the result obtained leads to the conclusion that the moving bodies do not communicate any of their motion to ether lying inside or outside it?
 
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I believe the logic is incomplete. As I remember, it was an assumption made by Hertz. A lot of this kind of thing can be found/referenced in: Sir Edmund Whittaker, "A History of Aether and Electricity", Harper and Brother, NY
 
Reshma said:
Can someone describe/provide links to Fizeau's experiment and show that the result obtained leads to the conclusion that the moving bodies do not communicate any of their motion to ether lying inside or outside it?

Try

http://www.kevin.harkess.btinternet.co.uk/appendix_b/appendix_b.html

Althought the result shows that SR and ether give approximately the same result.

The difference is a small offset, which is very difficult to detect.
 
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wisp said:
Try

http://www.kevin.harkess.btinternet.co.uk/appendix_b/appendix_b.html

Althought the result shows that SR and ether give approximately the same result.

The difference is a small offset, which is very difficult to detect.

I thought that the forum rules prohibited self advertising (advertising of one's own theories) . Especially when the theory in cause ( "wisp" theory) is clearly wrong.
 
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I found this page which is has a good explanation of the experiment and the maths.

http://renshaw.teleinc.com/papers/fizeau4b/fizeau4b.stm
 
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