In 1926, Albert Michelson measured the speed of light with a technique similar t
ID: 2057776 • Letter: I
Question
In 1926, Albert Michelson measured the speed of light with a technique similar to that used by Fizeau. Michelson used an eight-sided mirror rotating at 528 rev/s in place of the toothed wheel, as illustrated in the figure . The distance from the rotating mirror to a distant reflector was 35.5 km The light completed the 71.0 km round trip in the time it took the mirror to complete one-eighth of a revolution.
Suppose the distance to the fixed mirror in the figure is decreased to 21.5 km
Find the required angular speed, assuming the speed of light is 3.00 *10^8 m/s
Explanation / Answer
1/528 = period = 0.001894 secs 0.001894/8 = 0.0002367424 secs 71000/0.0002367424 = 299904000 m/s (speed of light) v = r? 299904000 = 21.5*? implies ? = 13949023.3 rad/sec