source file: mills2.txt Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 13:28:02 -0800 Subject: Re: Einstein & Ether From: rtomes@kcbbs.gen.nz (Ray Tomes) "Eric S. Tiedemann" wrote: >John Chalmers discourseth: >> RE ether: Whether Einstein or other theorists still needed the >> concept of the ether in 1920 is irrelevant to physics today. >> The concept is not needed for current theories. >In his address of that year, Einstein traced the history of the >concept and suggested how the term might resonably be applied to the >metrical properties of space-time as modeled in the general theory of >relativity (which physicists still use all the time). As Gary >Morrison said, he did *not* talk about `ether' as an undulatory medium >for light. Einstein's `ether' is, however, the medium of gravity >waves. :) It is relevent to both gravity and light. The following quote from that speech shows that Einstein considers that it applies to light:- "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 space and time (measuring-rods and clocks), nor therefore any space-time intervals in the physical sense." - A. Einstein It makes as much sense to say "You don't need air or any medium to be able to hear sound" as it does to say that e/m could propagate without an ether. Would you as a musician honestly expect to have a reasonable understanding of the behaviour of sound if you denied the existence of air? Of course not. Your beliefs would be full of dualisms, paradoxes and contradictions. Just like modern establishment physics. The idea that relativity or the Michleson Morley experiment disproved the existence of an ether is a modern scientific myth. There are at least four other such myths taught in (US) universities and published in journals today. All of Einstein, Michelson, Lorentz and Dirac believed in an ether and they played a major part in the experiments and development of modern theory, so they cannot be dismissed as crackpots. -- Ray Tomes -- rtomes@kcbbs.gen.nz -- Harmonics Theory -- http://www.kcbbs.gen.nz/users/rtomes/rt-home.htm Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Thu, 13 Mar 1997 23:21 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA11669; Thu, 13 Mar 1997 23:21:43 +0100 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA11664 Received: from by ella.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) id OAA12800; Thu, 13 Mar 1997 14:19:33 -0800 Date: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 14:19:33 -0800 Message-Id: <199703132307.XAA30107@reliam.teaser.fr> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@ella.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@ella.mills.edu