In: Physics
Answer each of the following questions in one paragraph. If you want/need, you can supplement your written explanation with diagrams or equations.
2. Using the Michelson-Morley experiment as an example, explain why classical mechanics was unable to explain natural phenomena.
Michelson-Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the velocity of earth with respect to hypothesized ether medium. For this they passes light from tilted half silvered mirror. Some light reflected to upside mirror and some light transmitted to front mirror. Reflected light from upside mirror and front mirror was detected by detector on bottom. According to classical mechanics speed of light for these two cases must be differ, since one was along the motion of earth (coming from front mirror) and other was perpendicular to earth speed (light from upside mirror). Velocity add or minus in classical mechanics, hence there speed can be more than c or less than c (speed of light in vacuum). But actually this was not the case. Speed was constant for both the case.
Further it was concluded classical mechanics is unable to explain this phenomenon. Special relativity is able to explain it by assuming speed of light is constant for all observer and it is also independent to direction.
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