What is Your Favourite Experiment in Physics?

[Edgardo]

Hello all,

what are your favourite experiments in physics?
Mine is the experiment by Fizeau, in which the speed of light is measured.
I like it because of its simplicity.

(If you don't have any favourite physics experiment, you can also
post chemistry or biology experiment or whatever science)

-Edgardo

 

[Galileo]

Galileo (not me) tried to measure the speed of light in his days.
He had a couple of people with lanterns or torches situated in an open field. The first lighted his lantern and when the next saw it, he would lit his etc. Accounting for the reaction time of the people and such he measured the speed of light.

Pretty funny. Don't know what his conclusion was though. He probably found a lower limit and noted that it was too fast to be measured in this way.

 

[kirovman]

Galileo (not me) tried to measure the speed of light in his days.
He had a couple of people with lanterns or torches situated in an open field. The first lighted his lantern and when the next saw it, he would lit his etc. Accounting for the reaction time of the people and such he measured the speed of light.

Pretty funny. Don't know what his conclusion was though. He probably found a lower limit and noted that it was too fast to be measured in this way.

I think he concluded light was at least 3 times faster than sound, something like that.

Edit: My experiment...I like experiments to do with NMR.

 

[krab]

Millikan oil drop

 

[clive]

My favourite is Michelson's one (the interferometer). I think it was one of the most important experiments in physics.

 

[Kelvin]

My favourite is simple pendulum
it's simple, but useful:
the period of gravity to reasonably high precision, inertia mass and gravitational mass

also I had a experiment in which I tied an ultrasound source on a string to study doppler effect

very impressive