Podcast appearances and mentions of albert michelson

Harry and Rafe continue the discussion around coming to understand the nature of light.  In this episode they discuss the properties of waves (interferences and such) and how the nature of light is like the nature of sound except for the fact that light waves seem to be able to travel without any medium to support them.  In the end, our friend Albert Michelson will again show up to finally put the ether to rest setting the stage another Albert to come to the front with Special Relativity.In true Buf fashion, the conversation drifts to things like the teaching of mathematics in high schools and to donuts; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

(NOTAS Y ENLACES DEL CAPÍTULO AQUÍ: https://www.jaimerodriguezdesantiago.com/kaizen/143-pensamiento-sistemico-ii-aprendiendo-a-pensar-en-sistemas/)Hubo un tiempo en que creímos saberlo todo. En 1894, Albert Michelson - uno de los grandes físicos de su época - afirmó que parecía probable que la mayor parte de los grandes principios fundamentales de la ciencia fueran ya suficientemente conocidos. Según él, los futuros avances vendrían de aplicar rigurosamente esos principios a cuanto quisiéramos estudiar. Michelson no estaba solo, muchos de sus contemporáneos pensaban igual. Todo por culpa de Newton. Un par de siglos antes, las ecuaciones de Newton habían desvelado la maquinaria que movía el Universo, casi literalmente. Con ellas se podía describir el movimiento de todo, desde manzanas hasta planetas enteros. Como él mismo dijo: «la naturaleza es increíblemente simple [...]. Sea cual sea el razonamiento que explica los grandes movimientos, debería explicar los movimientos menores». En otras palabras: el Universo no era más que una complicada máquina de relojería y ahora conocíamos sus engranajes. Partiendo de aquella visión del Universo, a poco que uno se parara a pensar llegaba a conclusiones inquietantes. Uno que pensaba mucho era Pierre Simon Laplace, que en 1814 ató cabos: si todo lo que nos rodea se movía de manera mecánica según aquellas leyes, y si llegáramos a conocer la posición y velocidad actual de cada partícula del Universo, en teoría podríamos conocer el pasado y el futuro de todo. Si el Universo era un reloj al que le habían dado cuerda, bastaba saber la posición de las agujas ahora para conocer qué hora fue antes y cuál vendría después. Es decir, en teoría todo era predecible. De alguna manera, ésta era la idea que había detrás de las palabras de Michelson. Durante siglos, el principal camino de la ciencia había sido el reduccionismo: descomponer los grandes problemas en cuantas partes fuera posible, para resolverlas comenzando por las más simples hasta llegar a las más complejas. Dicho de otra forma: encontrar leyes que explicaran los casos más sencillos y combinarlas hasta poder explicarlo todo. Para 1894 ya se conocían la mayoría de esas leyes y sólo nos faltaba aplicarlas. O eso creía Michelson. En las tres décadas siguientes aquella idea saltó por los aires. Con la llegada de la relatividad y de la mecánica cuántica entendimos que el sueño de Laplace era imposible. Más aún, el siglo XX fue el principio del fin del reduccionismo. Empezamos a comprender que había problemas irreducibles e impredecibles, para los que esa aproximación no servía. El clima, como bien demostraba Gila, es uno de esos problemas. También lo son los organismos vivos y sus enfermedades; el comportamiento económico, político y cultural de las sociedades; las redes que usamos para comunicarnos o la naturaleza de la inteligencia y la posibilidad de crearla en nuestros ordenadores. Necesitamos herramientas para lidiar con la complejidad. Y el pensamiento sistémico es una de ellas.

En Abril del año 1887 dos físicos: Albert Michelson y Edward Morley comenzaban a realizar un experimento que pocos sospechaban se disponía a sembrar el germen de una de las dos grandes teorías fruto de la mente del mismo genial científico alemán, Albert Einstein. Una de aquellas teorías irreconciliables que, décadas más tarde, cambiarían nuestra forma de comprender no ya la física sino la propia naturaleza del espacio-tiempo, la causalidad y la relación entre materia y energía. Acompañadnos en este nuevo capítulo de la Biblioteca de Física donde intentaremos enseñar, siempre con humildad y rigor, pero sin dejar atrás lo fascinante y lo bello, en qué consiste una de las teorías más fundamentales a la hora de entender la física moderna: la teoría (o como decimos, teorías) de la Relatividad. Cómo se formuló, qué explica, qué predice y qué limitaciones tiene. Y, sobre todo, qué ventanas abrió a nuestro conocimiento. Hoy, en El Abrazo del Oso, la Teoría de la Relatividad. Más programas de Miguel Cámara https://elabrazodeloso.es/wordpress/tag/miguel-camara/ Si te gusta el Abrazo del Oso y quieres acceder a más contenidos extra, puedes ayudarnos pinchando en el botón 'apoyar' aquí en iVoox. O pásate por www.patreon.com/elabrazodeloso ¡GRACIAS! Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Ocean waves travel across the water and sound waves travel through air. In fact, those waves don't work without a medium — something to pass them along from place to place. So it makes sense that light waves need something to transmit them across the vacuum of space. For centuries, scientists called that medium the ether. They couldn't explain what it was. But they knew that you couldn't see it, feel it, or weigh it. In fact, it wouldn't interact with “normal” matter in any way. But it was infinite — it filled the entire universe. By the mid-1800s, though, many scientists had some doubts about it. And an experiment in 1887 all but ruled it out. Albert Michelson and Edward Morley figured that as Earth orbited the Sun, its speed relative to the ether was changing. And since light waves were carried by the ether, the scientists expected to be able to see a change in the speed at which light travels. So they measured the speed of light in Earth's direction of motion, and at a right angle to that direction. But they saw no change — the speed of light was always the same. Later, Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity explained that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant — it never changes. That ruled out the need for an ether to transmit light waves through the universe. That doesn't mean that the vacuum of space is a complete void, though — or that we know everything about it. More about that tomorrow.  Script by Damond Benningfield Support McDonald Observatory

Betelgeuse gets more interesting by the day. A year ago, the red supergiant star faded dramatically. Two studies reported possible explanations for the big fade. But their conclusions were different. Betelgeuse marks the shoulder of Orion the hunter. The bright orange star rises due east a couple of hours after sunset, and climbs high across the south during the night. Betelgeuse is one of the few stars that astronomers can see as more than just a pinpoint of light. One hundred years ago today, in fact, it was the first star other than the Sun to have its size measured. Albert Michelson and Frances Pease came up with a diameter of about 240 million miles. They were off by a fair amount, but only because astronomers thought the star was much closer than it really is. Beginning in October of last year, Betelgeuse faded dramatically. By February, it had dropped to about a third of its normal brilliance. And this summer, two research teams provided possible reasons. One team said the star shot out a giant blob of hot gas. As it moved away from Betelgeuse it cooled, forming a cloud of dust. The cloud was dark, and it blocked part of the star from view. But another team came up with a different mechanism. That team said that a giant “starspot” covered between 50 and 70 percent of the surface. The spot was a magnetic storm similar to a sunspot. The conflicting results add to the mystery of this brilliant star. Script by Damond Benningfield Support McDonald Observatory

Betelgeuse gets more interesting by the day. A year ago, the red supergiant star faded dramatically. Two studies reported possible explanations for the big fade. But their conclusions were different. Betelgeuse marks the shoulder of Orion the hunter. The bright orange star rises due east a couple of hours after sunset, and climbs high across the south during the night. Betelgeuse is one of the few stars that astronomers can see as more than just a pinpoint of light. One hundred years ago today, in fact, it was the first star other than the Sun to have its size measured. Albert Michelson and Frances Pease came up with a diameter of about 240 million miles. They were off by a fair amount, but only because astronomers thought the star was much closer than it really is. Beginning in October of last year, Betelgeuse faded dramatically. By February, it had dropped to about a third of its normal brilliance. And this summer, two research teams provided possible reasons. One team said the star shot out a giant blob of hot gas. As it moved away from Betelgeuse it cooled, forming a cloud of dust. The cloud was dark, and it blocked part of the star from view. But another team came up with a different mechanism. That team said that a giant “starspot” covered between 50 and 70 percent of the surface. The spot was a magnetic storm similar to a sunspot. The conflicting results add to the mystery of this brilliant star. Script by Damond Benningfield Support McDonald Observatory

In 1880, scientist Albert Michelson set out to build a device to measure something every 19th century physicist knew just had to be there. The “luminiferous ether” was invisible and pervaded all of space. It helped explain how light traveled, and how electromagnetic waves waved. Ether theory even underpinned Maxwell’s famous equations! One problem: When Alfred Michaelson ran his machine, the ether wasn’t there.  Science historian David Kaiser walks Annie and Science Friday host Ira Flatow through Michaelson’s famous experiment, and explains how a wrong idea led to some very real scientific breakthroughs. This story first aired on Science Friday.   GUEST David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science, Professor of Physics, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology   FOOTNOTES Find out more about the Michelson-Morley experiment on APS Physics.  Read an archival article from the New York Times about the physicists’ experimental “failure.”   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was produced by Annie Minoff and Christopher Intagliata. Our theme music is by I Am Robot And Proud. 

In 1880, scientist Albert Michelson set out to build a device to measure something every 19th century physicist knew just had to be there. The “luminiferous ether” was invisible and pervaded all of space. It helped explain how light traveled, and how electromagnetic waves waved. Ether theory even underpinned Maxwell’s famous equations! One problem: When Alfred Michaelson ran his machine, the ether wasn’t there.  Science historian David Kaiser walks Annie and Science Friday host Ira Flatow through Michaelson’s famous experiment, and explains how a wrong idea led to some very real scientific breakthroughs. This story first aired on Science Friday.   GUEST David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science, Professor of Physics, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology   FOOTNOTES Find out more about the Michelson-Morley experiment on APS Physics.  Read an archival article from the New York Times about the physicists’ experimental “failure.”   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was produced by Annie Minoff and Christopher Intagliata. Our theme music is by I Am Robot And Proud. 

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This bonus video shows the motion of every rocker arm -- that is, every sinusoid. The end of the video shows all the arms in motion together. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This videos shows the machine rotating and rotating -- including a breathtaking spiral up the machine at the end of the video. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

his series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video is a page-by-page commentary to the series companion book. Learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (2/4) Synthesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the third of four) shows how to use the machine to do Fourier analysis. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the second of four) shows how to use the machine to do Fourier synthesis. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This introduction to the series Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video is the first of four -- plus several bonus videos. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the fourth of four) shows how to operate the machine. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This introduction to the series Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video is the first of four -- plus several bonus videos. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the second of four) shows how to use the machine to do Fourier synthesis. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

► Learn more at: http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier ► Buy the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983966176/ ► Buy the posters on Zazzle: http://www.zazzle.com/engineerguy ► Main videos in the series: (1/4) Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAsM30MAHLg (2/4) Synthesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KmVDxkia_w (4/4) Operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfH-NbsmvD4 ► Bonus videos: Books and Posters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXgTwrblClQ Page-by-Page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHw9GCAtE8 Spinning Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPQwKRt4Y2k Rocker Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mBuyixt22U This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the third of four) shows how to use the machine to do Fourier analysis. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video (the fourth of four) shows how to operate the machine. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

his series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This video is a page-by-page commentary to the series companion book. Learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This videos shows the machine rotating and rotating -- including a breathtaking spiral up the machine at the end of the video. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

This series on Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer celebrates a nineteenth century mechanical computer that performed Fourier analysis by using gears, springs and levers to calculate with sines and cosines—an astonishing feat in an age before electronic computers. This bonus video shows the motion of every rocker arm -- that is, every sinusoid. The end of the video shows all the arms in motion together. Check out the series companion book and learn how to get a free PDF of the entire book at http://www.engineerguy.com/fourier.

Video 35 in the series "A History of the Navy in 100 Objects" presented by the United States Naval Academy. This is about Albert Michelsons Light Experiments.