Edward Morley
Encyclopedia
Edward Williams Morley was an American
scientist
famous for the Michelson–Morley experiment.
to Anna Clarissa Treat and the Reverend Sardis Brewster Morley. Both parents were of early colonial ancestry and of purely British origin. Morely grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut
. During his childhood, he suffered much from ill health and was therefore educated by his father at home until the age of nineteen.
In 1857, Morley entered Williams College
at Williamstown, Massachusetts
, his father’s alma mater. He graduated in 1860 as A.B., and in 1863 received his master’s degree. Around 1960 he gradually shifted his attention from chemistry, which fascinated him since he was child, to optics and astronomy. In 1860–61 he mounted a transit instrument, constructed a chronograph
, and made the first accurate determination of the latitude
of the college observatory. This determination was the subject of his first published paper, which was read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in 1866.
Upon advise of his parents, Morley entered Andover Theological Seminary in 1861 and completed
the course in 1864. It was here, probably, that he acquired a good working knowledge of Hebrew. From 1866 to 1868 he was a teacher in a private school, and later, in 1868, he was called to preach in a small country parish in Ohio
. At about the same time, he was appointed professor of chemistry in Western Reserve College (then situated at Hudson, Ohio
and later moved to Cleveland and renamed Case Western Reserve University
), where he remained until his retirement in 1906. This appointment was the turning point in his career. In 1873 he also became professor of chemistry in Cleveland Medical College, but resigned this chair in 1888 to have more time for research. Just before moving to Hudson he married Miss Imbella A. Birdsall.
During his residence in Cleveland, Morley assembled one of the best private collections of chemical periodicals in America. He even included Russian journals and learned enough of the Russian language to use them. After his retirement from teaching, the university purchased his library and relocated to the chemical laboratory named after him. In 1906, Morley moved to West Hartford, Connecticut
, where he built a small house and a laboratory for his personal studies of rocks and minerals.
Morley was not a voluminous writer and published only 55 articles. He outlived his wife by only a few months, and died, following a surgical operation, in the Hartford Hospital
in 1923.
and optics
. In this, Morley collaborated with and assisted the physicist
Albert A. Michelson for several years around 1887. They set up, executed, and improved their techniques many times in what we call the Michelson–Morley experiment. This one involved making more and more accurate measurements of the speed of light
in various directions, and at different times of the year as the Earth revolved in its orbit around the Sun. These careful measurements were created to measure the differences in the speed of light in different directions. Michelson and Morley always found that the speed of light did not vary at all depending on the direction of measurement, or the position of the Earth in its orbit. This was what we call a "null result
" for their speed-of-light experiments.
Neither he nor Michelson ever considered that these null results disproved the hypothesis of the existence of "luminiferous aether
", in which electromagnetic waves were thought to be propagated. Their null results led the Irish physicist George Francis FitzGerald to postulate what we now call the FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction of physical objects in the direction of their movement in inertial frames of reference.
However, other scientists did come to the conclusion that the aether
did not exist. The results of the Michelson-Morley experiments soon led to Albert Einstein
's strong postulate that the speed of light is a constant in all inertial frames of reference for his Special Theory of Relativity.
Morley also collaborated with Dayton Miller
on positive aether experiments after his work with Michelson, and Morley himself made measurements of the speed of light
when it passes through a strong magnetic field
. Morley also studied the thermal expansion
of solid materials.
In chemistry, his original field, Morley had worked on determining accurate values for the composition of the atmosphere
and the weights of its gases. His work on the atomic weight of oxygen covered a period of eleven years. Much time
was spent in the calibration of instruments and improving the measurement accuracy to the highest possible degree (ca. 1 part per 10,000).
in 1895, and he was the president of the American Chemical Society
in 1899. Morley was awarded the Davy Medal
, named for the great British chemist Sir Humphrey Davy, by the Royal Society
of London, England in 1907, and he also won the Elliott Cresson Medal
, awarded by the Franklin Institute
of Pennsylvania
, in 1912, for important contributions to the science of chemistry. He had received the Willard Gibbs Medal
of the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society
in 1899.
The lunar
crater
Morley
on the near side was named for him. The Morley Elementary School in West Hartford Conn. was also named for him. His house
in West Hartford was made a National Historic Landmark
in 1975.
at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign was purported to belong to Edward Morley. The grave has since been called a hoax but is regularly visited by students.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
famous for the Michelson–Morley experiment.
Biography
Morley was born in Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
to Anna Clarissa Treat and the Reverend Sardis Brewster Morley. Both parents were of early colonial ancestry and of purely British origin. Morely grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
. During his childhood, he suffered much from ill health and was therefore educated by his father at home until the age of nineteen.
In 1857, Morley entered Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
at Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, his father’s alma mater. He graduated in 1860 as A.B., and in 1863 received his master’s degree. Around 1960 he gradually shifted his attention from chemistry, which fascinated him since he was child, to optics and astronomy. In 1860–61 he mounted a transit instrument, constructed a chronograph
Chronograph
A chronograph is a timepiece or watch with both timekeeping and stopwatch functions as well as other functions. Pocket watch chronographs were produced as early as the 18th century but did not become popular until the 1820s...
, and made the first accurate determination of the latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of the college observatory. This determination was the subject of his first published paper, which was read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 1866.
Upon advise of his parents, Morley entered Andover Theological Seminary in 1861 and completed
the course in 1864. It was here, probably, that he acquired a good working knowledge of Hebrew. From 1866 to 1868 he was a teacher in a private school, and later, in 1868, he was called to preach in a small country parish in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. At about the same time, he was appointed professor of chemistry in Western Reserve College (then situated at Hudson, Ohio
Hudson, Ohio
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 22,262 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent exurban community and is part of the Akron, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and later moved to Cleveland and renamed Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
), where he remained until his retirement in 1906. This appointment was the turning point in his career. In 1873 he also became professor of chemistry in Cleveland Medical College, but resigned this chair in 1888 to have more time for research. Just before moving to Hudson he married Miss Imbella A. Birdsall.
During his residence in Cleveland, Morley assembled one of the best private collections of chemical periodicals in America. He even included Russian journals and learned enough of the Russian language to use them. After his retirement from teaching, the university purchased his library and relocated to the chemical laboratory named after him. In 1906, Morley moved to West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, where he built a small house and a laboratory for his personal studies of rocks and minerals.
Morley was not a voluminous writer and published only 55 articles. He outlived his wife by only a few months, and died, following a surgical operation, in the Hartford Hospital
Hartford Hospital
Hartford Hospital is an acute care hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. The hospital was formed in 1854 after the State of Connecticut granted a charter for the Formation of Hartford Hospital following a boiler explosion and resulting fire at the Fales and Grey Car Works...
in 1923.
Optics and astronomy
Morley's most-significant work came in the field of physicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
. In this, Morley collaborated with and assisted the physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Albert A. Michelson for several years around 1887. They set up, executed, and improved their techniques many times in what we call the Michelson–Morley experiment. This one involved making more and more accurate measurements of the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
in various directions, and at different times of the year as the Earth revolved in its orbit around the Sun. These careful measurements were created to measure the differences in the speed of light in different directions. Michelson and Morley always found that the speed of light did not vary at all depending on the direction of measurement, or the position of the Earth in its orbit. This was what we call a "null result
Null result
In science, a null result is a result without the expected content: that is, the proposed result is absent. It is an experimental outcome which does not show an otherwise expected effect. This does not imply a result of zero or nothing, simply a result that does not support the hypothesis...
" for their speed-of-light experiments.
Neither he nor Michelson ever considered that these null results disproved the hypothesis of the existence of "luminiferous aether
Luminiferous aether
In the late 19th century, luminiferous aether or ether, meaning light-bearing aether, was the term used to describe a medium for the propagation of light....
", in which electromagnetic waves were thought to be propagated. Their null results led the Irish physicist George Francis FitzGerald to postulate what we now call the FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction of physical objects in the direction of their movement in inertial frames of reference.
However, other scientists did come to the conclusion that the aether
Luminiferous aether
In the late 19th century, luminiferous aether or ether, meaning light-bearing aether, was the term used to describe a medium for the propagation of light....
did not exist. The results of the Michelson-Morley experiments soon led to Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's strong postulate that the speed of light is a constant in all inertial frames of reference for his Special Theory of Relativity.
Morley also collaborated with Dayton Miller
Dayton Miller
Dayton Clarence Miller was an American physicist, astronomer, acoustician, and accomplished amateur flautist...
on positive aether experiments after his work with Michelson, and Morley himself made measurements of the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
when it passes through a strong magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Morley also studied the thermal expansion
Thermal expansion
Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in volume in response to a change in temperature.When a substance is heated, its particles begin moving more and thus usually maintain a greater average separation. Materials which contract with increasing temperature are rare; this effect is...
of solid materials.
Chemistry
In Western Reserve College, Morley was required to teach, not only chemistry, but also geology and botany that left him little time for research. Nevertheless, he found time during the first ten years at Hudson to publish five articles, mostly on the accuracy of measurements.In chemistry, his original field, Morley had worked on determining accurate values for the composition of the atmosphere
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
and the weights of its gases. His work on the atomic weight of oxygen covered a period of eleven years. Much time
was spent in the calibration of instruments and improving the measurement accuracy to the highest possible degree (ca. 1 part per 10,000).
Honors
Morley was the president of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in 1895, and he was the president of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
in 1899. Morley was awarded the Davy Medal
Davy Medal
The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
, named for the great British chemist Sir Humphrey Davy, by the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London, England in 1907, and he also won the Elliott Cresson Medal
Elliott Cresson Medal
The Elliott Cresson Medal, also known as the Elliott Cresson Gold Medal, was the highest award given by the Franklin Institute. The award was established by Elliott Cresson, life member of the Franklin Institute, with $1,000 granted in 1848...
, awarded by the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in 1912, for important contributions to the science of chemistry. He had received the Willard Gibbs Medal
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
of the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
in 1899.
The lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
crater
Impact crater
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
Morley
Morley (crater)
Morley is a small lunar impact crater that is located in the eastern part of the Moon's near side, to the east of the Mare Fecunditatis. It was formerly a satellite crater of Maclaurin, being designated Maclaurin R, before being given its current name by the IAU...
on the near side was named for him. The Morley Elementary School in West Hartford Conn. was also named for him. His house
Edward W. Morley House
Edward W. Morley House in West Hartford, Connecticut was the home of the scientist Edward W. Morley from 1906 to 1923. Morley is famous for his collaboration with Albert A...
in West Hartford was made a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1975.
Grave Hoax
A grave in the basement of the Noyes LaboratoryNoyes Laboratory
Noyes Laboratory is a chemistry laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that was established in 1902. When it was expanded in 1916 it housed the largest chemistry department in the United States. In 1939 the building was dedicated in honor of the influential U of I chemist...
at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign was purported to belong to Edward Morley. The grave has since been called a hoax but is regularly visited by students.
External links
- Edward Williams Morley from the Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia BritannicaThe Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...