“Albert A. Michelson and the Birth of Relativity: A Cleveland Story”
Harsh Mathur, Associate Professor of Physics, CWRU
Albert A Michelson, the first Professor of Physics at Case, in 1907 became the first American to win a Nobel Prize in Science. His years in Cleveland were eventful - being marked by robbery, fire, a mental breakdown, institutionalization, a whopping pay cut and a night in jail. In 1887, with Edward W Morley, he performed an experiment that in his eyes was a failure, but is now regarded as the experimental foundation for Einstein's theory of Relativity. Dr Mathur will explain the significance of the Michelson-Morley experiment and its modern incarnations. A version of the experiment performed last year using quantum information and entangled atoms confirmed the result of the original with a billion times greater precision. Other works of Michelson will also be touched upon, including that all his life Michelson was an avid painter. In a tribute Einstein said he always considered Michelson an artist in science.
Our original OSS series!
Evening Schedule:
5:30 – Coffee and cookies
6-7 – Lecture
7-8 Catered dinner
To register for OSS events, go to http://www.siegallifelonglearning.org/origins-science-scholars.html
For more information on OSS, call Felicia at 216-368-2090
fmi: Origins.case.edu
The Origins Science Scholars program began on campus in 2009 and has become a favorite venue for Cleveland area folks interested in or curious about cutting edge science with topics changing every semester and ranging from the beginning of the universe, to the origin of the earth and solar system, to the origin and evolution of life on earth, the human mind and consciousness, and evolution and human health.
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