Michelson-Gale-Pearson Refutation of Stokes-Planck - Help

Discussion in 'Physics & Math' started by one_raven, Apr 15, 2014.

  1. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    I'm hoping for some help in understanding how the Michelson-Gale-Pearson experiment in 1925 is held as a refutation of the Stokes-Planck theory of gravitational aether drag.

    If I understand the Stokes-Planck theory correctly, complete dragging of the aether near a sufficiently massive body (diminishing at distance, in accordance to the inverse square law as it applies to gravitational force) would be essentially indistinguishable from a complete dragging model. Wouldn't it also be indistinguishable from a non-aetheric model?
    Didn't Michelson-Gale-Pearson support that?

    What am I missing?

    Thanks.
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2014
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  3. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    Anyone??
     
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  5. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

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    Give it some time mate - a few days or so possibly.
     
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  7. Sylvester Registered Senior Member

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    LOL...oh, man. That was funny.
     
  8. origin Heading towards oblivion Valued Senior Member

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    Well I have never heard of either of these experiments but looking at your sources this is my take on it. The Stokes-Planck theory says that for a body as massive as earth the aether should be completely dragged with the rotation of the earth. Remember that the aether was the medium that was suppose to conduct light waves so if the medium was moving (being dragged with the earths rotation) the light waves would be move with the medium. The Michelson-Gale-Pearson experiment used a very large inferometer to look for any deflection of the fringes of the rings . It is essentially a larger version of the Michelson-Morley expermiment. The fringes had an offset which indicated that the light was not moving with the earth and if the aether had been moving with the (and the light was moving with the aether) there would be no offset of the fringes. The offset of the fringes matched the rotation of the earth, which would be what was expected with special relativity AND a stationary aether. So the experiment did not refute the idea of a stationary aether, it only refuted the idea of an aether that was dragged with the earth.

    I hope this makes sense and is what you are looking for.
     
  9. one_raven God is a Chinese Whisper Valued Senior Member

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    That does clarify it for me. Thank you!
    I need to consider this for a while.
     
  10. origin Heading towards oblivion Valued Senior Member

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    Glad to help, Charlie.
     

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