The Michelson-Morley experiment showed
A)a negligible fringe shift indicating an ether drift toward the center of Earth.
B)a negligible fringe shift indicating that,if an ether exists,it is at rest with respect to Earth.
C)a negligible fringe shift indicating that the instrument was not sensitive enough.
D)Earth to be traveling with a speed approaching that of light through space.
E)that light travels too fast to have its velocity measured.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Michelson-Morley experiment showed a negligible fringe shift, indicating that if an ether exists, it is at rest with respect to Earth. This result challenged the prevailing view that there was an ether that served as a medium for the propagation of light waves. It suggested that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference, which laid the groundwork for the development of Einstein's theory of special relativity.

The Michelson-Morley Experiment Showed