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My Philosophy

Representing my Views on the Many Functions of the Ether of Space

Oliver Lodge author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:2nd Aug '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

My Philosophy cover

First published in 1933, this is Sir Oliver Lodge's defence of the luminiferous ether against the new physics of relativity.

By the early twentieth century, the luminiferous ether was under fierce fire; apparently disproven by experiment and by the new theory of relativity, it was often considered antiquated. In this defence of the ether, first published in 1933, Sir Oliver Lodge argues that it is far from disproven.In his study of optics, Newton postulated that light, like sound, must be carried through a medium, and that this medium must exist even in a vacuum. By the late nineteenth century, this theoretical substance was known as the luminiferous ether. But the ether theory faced several problems. If the earth moved through ether, there would be ether wind, and light travelling against the flow would move more slowly than light travelling with it. That was soon disproven. Nor could the ether be stationary: by 1905, Einstein's work on relativity had disproven absolute motion. In this fascinating advocacy of ether, first published in 1933, Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) fiercely defends ether against the new physics, arguing for solid models over mathematical abstractions, and urging new ether experiments. With in-depth references to Einstein, Jeans and Eddington, this book is still relevant to students in the history of science.

ISBN: 9781108052672

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 18mm

Weight: 480g

324 pages