The Detection of Ether

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The Detection of Ether
Author Webster Kehr
Published 2002
Publisher R. Webster Kehr
Pages 164

Since the days of Sir Isaac Newton, there have been two basic theories that have attempted to answer the question: "What is light?" Is light a particle or is there some substance that fills the universe, and light is a wave or signal that travels through this substance, much like sound is a wave or signal that travels through the air? The problem in answering this question is that light has both very strong particle properties and light has very strong wave properties. The particle theory of light is now called the "photon theory." This theory is that photon particles are created and destroyed by atoms when electrons change quantum levels. This is a simplistic view but is sufficient for now. The particle theory of light was the dominant theory of light on two occasions. Newton believed light was a particle, then called a corpuscle, and his theory held until the very early 1800s. Einstein believed light was a particle, now called the "photon," and his theory has been in force since 1924 and continues to be the dominant theory at the current time.

The wave theory of light is called the "aether theory" or more commonly the "ether theory." One reason for having two spellings is to differentiate the ether that fills the universe versus the gas that can be used to put people to sleep. The ether theory is that the universe is filled with small particles, which I call "ethons." Ether is considered a medium for light, meaning light is a "signal" or "wave" that travels through the medium of ether. The ether theory of light was in favor with the scientific community from the very early 1800s to 1924.

Some people believe in both ether and photons. For example, Einstein admitted that his General Theory of Relativity would not work without ether, but the ether of Einstein's general relativity is vastly different from the ether of Nikola Tesla and Albert Michelson, and will not be discussed in this book.

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