Summary
Newton, Maxwell and others formulated the laws for what we now call “Classical Physics”
Described nature in terms of a small number of laws and a few fundamental quantities
Appeared to pass all the scientific tests, but in science one keeps on testing!
Michelson, Morley experiment
- Used interference of light to make a very sensitive experiment
Result: Light appears to have the same speed in all directions, independent of the motion of the earth - a fundamental failure of classical physics
What does this mean? -- Next Time