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    Omnipresent Ether

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    nantha74
    The document discusses the history of the concept of the ether and how it has changed over time. It describes how Aristotle first proposed the idea of an omnipresent ether to carry light and electromagnetic waves. Later thinkers like Newton believed in the existence of an invisible ether substance that permeated the universe. Maxwell also believed in ether as a subtle material that existed in apparently empty space. Einstein challenged this notion and removed ether from his equations, developing the theory of relativity. While ether was not proven to exist through experiments, Einstein redefined it as the physical qualities of space itself according to his general theory of relativity.

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    Omnipresent Ether

    Uploaded by

    nantha74
    139 views2 pages
    The document discusses the history of the concept of the ether and how it has changed over time. It describes how Aristotle first proposed the idea of an omnipresent ether to carry light and electromagnetic waves. Later thinkers like Newton believed in the existence of an invisible ether substance that permeated the universe. Maxwell also believed in ether as a subtle material that existed in apparently empty space. Einstein challenged this notion and removed ether from his equations, developing the theory of relativity. While ether was not proven to exist through experiments, Einstein redefined it as the physical qualities of space itself according to his general theory of relativity.

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    Omnipresent Ether

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    The document discusses the history of the concept of the ether and how it has changed over time. It describes how Aristotle first proposed the idea of an omnipresent ether to carry light and electromagnetic waves. Later thinkers like Newton believed in the existence of an invisible ether substance that permeated the universe. Maxwell also believed in ether as a subtle material that existed in apparently empty space. Einstein challenged this notion and removed ether from his equations, developing the theory of relativity. While ether was not proven to exist through experiments, Einstein redefined it as the physical qualities of space itself according to his general theory of relativity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    139 views2 pages

    Omnipresent Ether

    Uploaded by

    nantha74
    The document discusses the history of the concept of the ether and how it has changed over time. It describes how Aristotle first proposed the idea of an omnipresent ether to carry light and electromagnetic waves. Later thinkers like Newton believed in the existence of an invisible ether substance that permeated the universe. Maxwell also believed in ether as a subtle material that existed in apparently empty space. Einstein challenged this notion and removed ether from his equations, developing the theory of relativity. While ether was not proven to exist through experiments, Einstein redefined it as the physical qualities of space itself according to his general theory of relativity.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 2

    The idea of an omnipresent ether as carrier of light, and thus

    of any electromagnetic wave comes from Aristotle and was


    later taken up by Newton. Since Newton, the space has been
    viewed as a "container" in which all physical processes take
    place. Even if it was not provable, Newton was convinced
    that there is a substance that permeates the entire universe
    and connects it with each other. He called this invisible substance
    "ether" and described it as a living, spiritual element.
    Also, James Clerk Maxwell, the founder of the electromagnetic
    theory believed in ether, calling it "a material substance
    that is more subtle than the visible body, and which
    exists in those areas of space, which appear to be empty."
    The notion of space, however, has changed dramatically in
    the continued development of physics and at least was challenged
    by Einstein. Since then, formal properties of mathematical
    spaces are used for its physical description.
    As a seemingly disused physical concept, the ether hardly is
    treated by a scientific theory today. Although it is still discussed
    today if it is possible to quantize the space, however
    even in this matter the space considered as a mathematical or
    geometric object.
    It was failed to prove ether around the turn of the century,
    and also in several later experiments. Albert Einstein could
    then solve the difficulty by banishing ether from his equa8
    tions and replaced it by the speed of light as a universal constant.
    Thus, the failure of attempts to prove the ether gave
    Einstein the impetus to develop the theory of relativity.
    In one of his speeches, Einstein summarized the former idea
    of the ether, and he expressed his views in detail about this
    issue:
    " Recapitulating: we may say that according to the general
    theory of relativity space is endowed with physical qualities;
    in this sense, therefore, there exists ether.
    According to the general theory of relativity space without
    ether is unthinkable; for in such space there not only would
    be no propagation of light, but also no possibility of existence
    for standards of measuring rods and clocks, nor therefore
    any space-time intervals in the physical sense. But this
    ether may not be thought of as endowed with the quality
    characteristic of ponderable media, as consisting of parts
    which may be tracked through time. The idea of motion may
    not be applied to it."
    When talking about the subject of ether it is often asserted
    that Einstein would have abolished it. But how one can see
    in his speech, he did not abolish the ether, but he has redefined
    it according to his theory. So, he has modernized the
    ether concept during that period.
    It is interesting to experience what considerations are hidden
    behind the fact that at the beginning of the last century the
    debate in relation to ether was brought to an end. Not just
    because the fact that it is not provable, but also because there
    was no theory with which one could equally explain the
    9
    physical phenomena in the micro and macrocosm explain
    using the properties of the space. In his speech, Einstein also
    called attention to the following fact:
    "Of course it would be a great advance if we could succeed
    in comprehending the gravitational field and the electromagnetic
    field together as one unified conformation. Then
    for the first time the epoch of theoretical physics founded by
    Faraday and Maxwell would reach a satisfactory conclusion.
    The contrast between ether and matter would fade
    away, and, through the general theory of relativity, the
    whole of physics would become a complete system of
    thought, like geometry, kinematics, and the theory of gravitation."
    The above quoted speech of Einstein is very interesting for
    the subject of this book, and therefore it is included in the
    appendix of the book. In this speech, we get to know the real
    reasons why the former idea of material" ether, was abandoned
    in a justified way.

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