Finding the speed of light : the 1676 discovery that dazzled the world
Describes how Danish astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece.
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- ISBN: 9780884485452
- Physical Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm
- Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2019.
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Finding the Speed of Light : The 1676 Discovery That Dazzled the World (the History Makers Series)
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Summary
Finding the Speed of Light : The 1676 Discovery That Dazzled the World (the History Makers Series)
More than two centuries before Einstein, using a crude telescope and a mechanical timepiece, Danish astronomer Ole Romer measured the speed of light with astounding accuracy. How was he able to do this when most scientists didn't even believe that light traveled? Like many paradigm-shattering discoveries, Romer's was accidental. Night after night he was timing the disappearance and reappearance of Jupiter's moon Io behind the huge, distant planet. Eventually he realized that the discrepancies in his measurements could have only one explanation: Light had a speed, and it took longer to reach Earth when Earth was farther from Jupiter. All he needed then to calculate light's speed was some fancy geometry.