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jenst
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I've never understood how the aether was dispensed with. It is said that Maxwell's equations don't require it. If that is the case, then where do the x, y and z axes come from if not from an aether.
You may be confusing 'inertial reference frame' with the aether. A mass that is not subject to a net force (ie is moving at uniform velocity) defines an inertial reference frame - all points in the universe at all times can be expressed as coordinates in that reference frame and the laws of physics as measured in that frame will be the same as that measured in any other inertial reference frame. The aether was thought to define a particular inertial reference frame, based on the theory that the aether acted as the 'medium' for light. Its non-existence does not imply anything about other inertial reference frames.jenst said:I've never understood how the aether was dispensed with. It is said that Maxwell's equations don't require it. If that is the case, then where do the x, y and z axes come from if not from an aether.
There are several threads with this quote explained: it is the accepted view of the physics community that Einstein's aether is not the lumiferous aether of the 19th century. It doesn't have several features that were key elements of the lumiferous aether. Namely, there is no physical medium (ie air for sound waves) and there is no motion through it.evthis said:in Ether and the Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein eventualy writes:"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."
Einstein stated that there must be an aether for the propogation of light...why would he say this if light didn't need a physical medium for which to travel through?russ_watters said:that Einstein's aether is not the lumiferous aether of the 19th century. It doesn't have several features that were key elements of the lumiferous aether. Namely, there is no physical medium (ie air for sound waves) and there is no motion through it.
Because he was defining a new aether. Essentially, he was saying, there is still 'something' there, it just isn't what we used to think it was.evthis said:Einstein stated that there must be an aether for the propogation of light...why would he say this if light didn't need a physical medium for which to travel through?
russ_watters said:Because he was defining a new aether. Essentially, he was saying, there is still 'something' there, it just isn't what we used to think it was.
evthis said:So what properties does this new aether require for it to be able to propogate light?
The mysterious aether is a hypothetical substance that was once believed to fill all space and act as a medium for the propagation of electromagnetic waves. It was proposed in the 19th century as a way to explain the behavior of light and other electromagnetic radiation.
Maxwell's equations are a set of four equations that describe the behavior of electric and magnetic fields. They were developed by James Clerk Maxwell in the 19th century and are considered one of the most important contributions to the field of electromagnetism.
Maxwell's equations were used to describe the behavior of electromagnetic waves, which were thought to propagate through the aether. However, subsequent experiments and theories, such as Einstein's theory of relativity, have shown that the aether is not necessary to explain the behavior of light and other electromagnetic radiation.
The XYZ axes refer to the three-dimensional coordinate system used to describe the behavior of electric and magnetic fields in Maxwell's equations. The X-axis represents the direction of an electric field, the Y-axis represents the direction of a magnetic field, and the Z-axis represents the direction of propagation for an electromagnetic wave.
No, the concept of the mysterious aether is not considered relevant in modern science. It has been disproven by experiments and replaced by more accurate and comprehensive theories, such as the theory of relativity. However, the study of the aether's history and its role in the development of electromagnetic theory is still of interest to scientists and historians.