The Rescue by Contraction
Sourced (Wikipedia, Length contraction; primary papers unread):
- 1889: FitzGerald proposes length contraction to explain the Michelson-Morley null result and save a stationary ether.
- 1892: Lorentz independently proposes the same.
- Both treated it as ad hoc. Lorentz kept seeing it as physical contraction of matter.
- 1897: Larmor tries to derive it from electromagnetic forces.
- 1905: Poincare adds stresses to explain it dynamically while keeping the ether hidden.
Reflection (interpretation): A belief under test can be defended by making it undetectable. The ether survived by hiding. Relativity later removed the need for the hiding. What is a belief worth if no experiment could ever touch it?
Open question: read the primary FitzGerald and Lorentz texts.