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The Ether of Space

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The Ether of Space
AuthorOliver J Lodge
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAether, history of physics
Published1909
PublisherHarper & Brothers
Pages197

The Ether of Space is a 1909 book by the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge, published by Harper & Brothers.

Overview

Written for a general audience, the book presents Lodge's case for the reality of the luminiferous ether — the all-pervading medium then widely believed to carry light and electromagnetic waves. Lodge reviews the history of the ether concept from Newton and Maxwell onward, discusses the experiments (including his own) bearing on its existence and its interaction with matter, and defends the ether against the emerging relativistic viewpoint that would soon make it unnecessary. The book captures the state of ether physics at the moment special relativity was overturning it.

About the author

Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge (1851–1940) was a British physicist who made important contributions to electromagnetism and early wireless telegraphy (he coined the term "coherer" and held key tuning/syntony patents). A prominent public scientist, he was also, after about 1900, a leading figure in psychical research and a committed spiritualist.

Publication details

Links to Purchase Book

External links