The Ether of Space

COS

rth is stagnant, that the earth carries all or the greater part of the neighbouring ether with it,-a view which, if true, mu

andon the earth altogether; its motion is very quick, but too uncontrollable, and it always gives n

orm, and which in the course of the years 1891-97

a semi-transparent mirror, M, a piece of glass silvered so thinly that it lets half the light through and reflects the other half, somewhat as in Fig. 7; and send the two halves of this split beam round and round in opposite directions in the space between the disks. They may thus travel a

o one another at any unaliquot part of 360° the last image splits into two, as in the kaleidoscope is well known, and the interference bands may be regarded as resulting from those two sources. The cent

e; with Steel Disks, one yard in diameter, inside the frame.

the other half. The two half-beams each go three times round the square contour, i

that which is travelling in the same direction as the disks, is helped on a trifle, equivalent to a shortening of journey by some quarter millionth of an inch or so in the

not interfere on meeting before the disks moved, will interfere now;

n of the bright stripes, or a shift of the bands. A shift of the bands, and especially of the middle white band, which is much more stable than

d traversed a band and a half. The conditions were such that had the ether whirled at the full speed of the disks I should have seen a shi

again in the opposite direction, the bands ought to have shifted the other way to

mirrors and frame had to be protected from this. Many other small changes had to be made, and gradually the spurious shifts have been redu

se-power is sometimes being expended, is but too liable to communicate itself to the optical part of the apparatus. Of course elaborate precautions are taken against this. Although the two parts, the mechanical and the

. And there also are described some further modifications whereby the whirling disks are electrified-likewise without optical ef

ter any appreciable viscous grip upon the ether. Atoms must be able to throw it into vibration, if they are oscillating or revolving at sufficient speed; otherwise they would not em

that be tangential or normal. There is no theoretical reason for assuming any influence on uniform velocity. And even the influence on acceleration is exceedingly small under ordinary circumstances. Only during the v

ng part of Ether machine, with

ning mirrors, telescope, and collimator-to surrou

1893 is thus expressed (p. 777 of vol. 184 Phi

the thousandth part. At the same time, so far as rigorous proof is concerned, I should prefer to assert that the velocity of light between two

ange the 1/200th into 1/1000th. The spin was sometimes continued for three hours to see if an effect developed w

tions give an idea of

t generating too much back-E M F. The ampere-meter and volt-meter and the carbon rheostat (in armature circuit), for regulating the speed, are plainly seen. The smooth pulley on the shaft is for applying a brake. The small disk above it is perforated to act as a siren for estimation of speed; but other arrangements for this purpose were subsequently added. The

placed in position surrounding the disks. The slit and collimator are sh

are adjustable on geometric principles, and are pressed against

ven in Fig. 14, and here the doubl

ical frame independently supported by a gallows frame from other piers. The centrifugal mercury speed-indicator is visible in front, and Mr.

Supports of telescope and collimator also shewn, and part of the fixing of the four mirrors 1.2.3.4., three of them let into recesses in the wooden frame, e

parent mirror M so as to give altitude a

k view shows the three slots in which the ends of the supporting screws rest giving a f

borne by my friend the late Geo

, and with the micrometer wires set in position-each moved by an independent micrometer head. The straight vertical wire was usua

en we begin to spin the disks, and when they are going at some high speed, measured by a siren note and in other ways, the micrometer wires are reset and read-reset several times and read each time. Then the disks are stopped and more readings are taken. Then their motion is reversed, the wires set and read again; and finally the mo

hift; but it is caused by residual spurious causes, for it repeats itself with suf

speed of the steel disks. Further experience confirms and strengthens this estimate, and my conclusion is that such things as circular saws, flywheels

y experimental basis. What I do feel sure of is that if moving matter disturbs ether in its neighbourhood at all, it does so by some minute action, comparable in amount perhaps to gravitation, and possibly by means of the same property as that to

ence bands and micrometer wires as seen in the

, showing arrangement for winding central core with wire so as to be

ds in the channel of the iron spheroid. The

etis

nnular channel or groove, half an inch wide and 1 foot deep, round the bottom of which was wound a kilometre of insulated wire to a depth of 4? inches; the terminals of which were broug

volts exceptionally, applied. The magnetic field with 110 volts was about 1800 c.g.s.

accordingly in the eye-piece the iron surfaces could be seen, above and below, as well a

rific

ed between the two steel disks and kept electrified to sparking tension.

ing a third or middle steel disk t

the disks were spinning and the bands in good condition, the electrification could be instantaneously applied, taken off, reversed, or whatev

s that neither an electric nor a magnetic transverse field confers viscosit

a Possible

tic D

rge electric bobbins or long coils along the sides of a square inscribed at 45°

ecorded, but the salient points are to be found stated in

beam of light sent along the lines of force. The extra velocity that could have been observed would ha

ntial applied, namely, a drop of two million C.G.S. units of magnetic potenti

ether by a magnetic field; but if so, the ether must be regarded as so excessively dense that the amount of s