The Most Famous Failed Experiment

One of the most intriguing scientific stories of the nineteenth century is the development of our knowledge about light. Newton had proposed in 1675 that light consists of single, infinitesimally small particles, which he called corpuscles, from the Latin corpus (body). These particles were thought to be emitted in all directions from a specific source. The particle theory was able to explain some optical phenomena by assuming that light was attracted to mass by gravitational forces.

Newton’s theory gained wider acceptance among scientists over the competing wave theory championed most prominently by Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens. Born in The Hague in 1629 into an important and well-connected family, Huygens studied law and mathematics at the University of Leiden and the College of Breda. He showed great talent as a mathematician and his publications gained him wide recognition. He was also interested in astronomy and discovered one of Saturn’s satellites. His most important contribution is the wave theory of light.

According to the wave theory, light is emitted in all directions as a series of waves in a medium called ether. Since light can travel in a vacuum, it was assumed that vacuum and empty space are filled with ether. This was the big problem with the wave theory. It required the existence of this transmitting medium, an existence which could not…