Does A Prism Imply The Existence Of An Aether Field

Discussion in 'Pseudoscience Archive' started by munty13, Feb 15, 2009.

  1. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    How about, as previously stated: the temporal origin point of the signal.
     
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  3. RJBeery Natural Philosopher Valued Senior Member

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    Zeno: if there were an aether which slowed light down in one direction due to Earth's rotation through it wouldn't it be more difficult for us (or planes, or ships, or birds, etc) to travel in that same direction?
     
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  5. Challenger78 Valued Senior Member

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    Why are we still talking about the aether ?.
    I thought this was over already ?
    Otherwise they wouldn't be teaching this in high school no ?
     
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  7. electrafixtion Registered Senior Member

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    This whole discussion to me has been fascinating and I want to thank you James for making some absolute, yet at times elusive, aspects of the perception of light clear to me. I would like to ask you a basic question that this whole "rainbow" example made me curious about.

    What is responsible for the rounded shape of the rainbow? Is it actually the physical shape of our eye, or is it an attribute of Earth's environment, or?
     
  8. RJBeery Natural Philosopher Valued Senior Member

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    The round rainbow has to do with the fact that water droplets are round, I believe. The sunlight is moving through the droplet, bouncing off the backside, and coming down to our eyes. The angle of the light reflection must be just right in order to see colors, and this "sweet spot" of an angle is equal only in a cone centered on the middle of our head's shadow. Or something.

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  9. stereologist Escapee from Dr Moreau Registered Senior Member

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    The shape of the rainbow is that the angle from the sun to the raindrop and then to the eye is a constant angle. That forms a cone. The base of the cone is a circle.

    If you want to see great photos of rainbows and explanations of how they form look here:

    http://www.atoptics.co.uk/bows.htm
     
  10. RJBeery Natural Philosopher Valued Senior Member

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    stereologist you just confirmed to me that I can talk out of my ass and still put something resembling a correct answer together. At least this once.

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