Albert A. Michelson Exhibition Developed at the Einstein Centenary and the Michelson Colloquium

What is it about?

Michelson’s technical invention of his interferometer and his performance of the first experiment with the interferometer was a milestone in the history of physics. This paper reviews the history of the Michelson experiment, invented, and performed for the first time at the Astrophysical Observatory Potsdam in 1881. The paper draws attention to the International Michelson Colloquium, held from April 27 to April 30, 1981, in Potsdam (Germany) (Treder, 1979, 1982). This paper is an attempt to reconsider a scientific event organized more than 40 years ago, as the follow-up to Einstein’s Centenary, celebrated from 28 February to 2 March 1979 in Berlin (Germany) (Treder, 1979; Bleyer et al., 1979), for Michelson’s experiment done more than 140 years ago. Issues in history, education, and research still pursued today with reference to Michelson’s experiment are highlighted. For the first time letters from Max Born and Helen Dukas to be of interest for the relation of Einstein and Michelson is part of this paper.

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Why is it important?

History of physics and astronomy