answersLogoWhite

0

Michelson had light source on a mountain that he pulsed using a rotating mirror. Far away, on another mountain a fixed mirror returned his pulses to him. By comparing the transit time he came up with a close number. As equipment( esp. the timing mechanism) improved so did the number.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Why is the speed of light 186000 miles per second?

Consult Maxwell's Equations. It is derived from electrical and magnetic constants.


Who contributed to the evidence of electromagnetic waves and their link to light?

James Clerk Maxwell derived the existence of electromagnetic waves. Due to its speed (as calculated from his equations), which is the speed of light, he concluded that light is probably also an electromagnetic wave. This was confirmed later.


Can the speed of light be ligislated?

Sort of. The meter is currently defined to be exactly the distance that light, in a vacuum, travels in 1 / 299,792,458 of a second. The result of this is that the speed of light is DEFINED to be a certain value (299,792,458 meters / second); the meter is derived from the speed of light. Of course, you can't legislate to make the speed of light in a vacuum faster or slower; or rather, if you do, light won't care about such legislation. The legislation only affects the numeric values assigned to such a speed.


Is speed a derived quantity?

Velocity is a derived quantity. Speed is velocity without direction. Velocity is derived from distance and time.


Why are area and speed derived quantities?

Area and speed are derived quantities because they are obtained by combining base quantities. Area is derived from multiplying two length measurements, while speed is derived from dividing a length measurement by a time measurement. These derived quantities are built upon the fundamental base quantities of length and time.


Can the speed of light be calculated?

Answer: The speed of light was determined through experimentation, such as the timing of moons passing behind Jupiter. Many formulas are based upon the speed of light, but that number had to be determined beforehand. Light travels 299,792,458 meters per second (or 186,282.397 miles per second in a vacuum. Answer: Yes, the speed of light can be deduced from the electrical properties of empty space. However, in practice it is more accurate to measure the speed of light.


Is it the speed of light or light speed?

Is what the speed of light or light speed.ANSWER300,000 km/s


Why do you age more when you approach the speed of light?

Actually you would age slower. Time passes more slowly at higher speeds. For a detailed explanation (how this result is derived), read an article about the Special Theory of Relativity - however, it is based on the basic assumption that the speed of light is constant. This strange fact - that the speed of light (in a vacuum) is constant - has been confirmed by countless experiments.


Is the speed of light is a basic unit or a derived unit?

The speed of light, abbreviated as "c", is a fundamental constant. It is 299,792,458 meters per second, and the length of the meter is DEFINED AS being 1/299,792,458th of the distance that light travels in one second. So it is a "basic unit". We generally use 300,000 km/second or 186,000 miles per second as "close enough" approximations of the speed of light.


How do you know the speed of an electromagnetic wave in a vacuum?

The speed of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is the same as the speed of light (which is, in itself an electromagnetic wave). It can be measured by finding the frequency and wavelength of two different waves, and then by that correlation, the speed of the waveform.


Is it light speed or the speed of light?

speed of light I think well it sounds right:)


Which was the fastest the speed of light or the speed of sound?

speed of light