This was an experiment to prove universal gravitation!
The conclusion drawn from the Michelson-Morley experiment was that the speed of light is constant in all directions, regardless of the motion of the observer or the source of light. This result challenged the prevailing theory of the luminiferous ether and laid the foundation for Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
The results of the Michelson-Morley experiment did not fit the theory of the luminiferous ether, so the theory had to be rejected.
Albert Michelson is best known for conducting the Michelson-Morley experiment in 1887, which aimed to measure the speed of light and detect the presence of the hypothetical luminiferous aether. This experiment provided evidence against the existence of the aether and contributed to the development of Einstein's theory of relativity.
The theory, at the time of Michelson and Morley, was that light propagated through a hypothetical medium called the "aether". The Michelson-Morley experiment basically disproved some of the ideas about light that were common at that time.
James Clerk Maxwell determined that light travels at a constant speed in a vacuum in his equations of electromagnetism in the 1860s. This was later experimentally confirmed by Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley in the 1880s through their famous Michelson-Morley experiment.
Known as the Michelson and Morley experiment, this was an experiment to measure changes in the speed of light. Supposedly, as Earth travelled through the Ether, light would go faster in one direction than in the other (because of the relative velocities). The experiment didn't produce the expected result - the speed of light was found to be always the same. Today, this is an accepted fact - that the speed of light is the same for all observers - and is one of the bases for the Theory of Relativity.
Some scientists who have conducted experiments on the nature of light include Thomas Young, who proposed the wave theory of light through his double-slit experiment, and Albert Michelson and Edward Morley, who performed the Michelson-Morley experiment to investigate the presence of the luminiferous aether. Another notable scientist is Max Planck, who developed the quantum theory to explain the behavior of light.
The Michelson-Morley experiment was performed in 1887 by Albert Michelson and Edward Morley at what is now Case Western Reserve University. It is generally considered to be the first strong evidence against the theory of a luminiferous aether. The experiment has also been referred to as "the kicking-off point for the theoretical aspects of the Second Scientific Revolution."[1] Primarily for this work, Albert Michelson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1907. == ==
Known as the Michelson and Morley experiment, this was an experiment to measure changes in the speed of light. Supposedly, as Earth travelled through the Ether, light would go faster in one direction than in the other (because of the relative velocities). The experiment didn't produce the expected result - the speed of light was found to be always the same. Today, this is an accepted fact - that the speed of light is the same for all observers - and is one of the bases for the Theory of Relativity.
A "Negative Experiment" is one where the expected result of the experiment is not found. These experiments are critically important and represent important work in Physics. The Michelson-Morley experiment, a "negative experiment" is one of the most important in the history of science. It was an test to measure the influence of the presumed etheric medium on a beam of light. No effect was found. Thus no ether.
All the facts about ether are unknown and not until about ten years ago has scientists started to be once again introduced to the idea. Michelson-Morley experiment was performed in 1887 which resulted as a null result. through there eyes this proved that there was no such thing as ether. People today still think aether (ether) doesn't exist because of an experiment completed over 100 years ago. Many people haven't heard of the Silvertooth experiment performed in 1986 which had equipment with greater sensitivity than the Michelson-Morley experiment. The results from the Silvertooth experiment picked up on an unknown field moving at the Speed of Light. It was proven that the Michelson-Morley experiment had an error: The standing waves that are reflected back onto a mirror become phase locked on the mirror, and hence to its motion through space. Silvertooth built a standing wave experiment that avoids the phase locking encountered in the Michelson-Morley setup. It uses a configuration similar to the Sagnac experiment, which many years ago did detect motion relative to an aether. Silvertooth's addition was a sensor capable of measuring the spacing between standing wave nodes. All we know about ether is that its a wave that moves at the speed of light, is odorless, tasteless and infinite. Although my knowledge in ether lacks and there might more known facts today. Understand there may be experiments in the future which may disprove the ether theory. ATM it is just a theory but I'm seeing too many free energy devices working, so I'm believing in ether. But Einstein and his curved space is still in mainstream science "KING".
The proof of the speed of light constant comes from various experiments and observations, including the Michelson-Morley experiment and the behavior of electromagnetic waves. The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second, and it remains constant regardless of the observer's motion or the source of light. This constant speed of light is a fundamental principle in physics and is a key component of Einstein's theory of relativity.