Einstein's Greatest Mistake: Abandonment of the Aether

An intriguing…exploration of a fringe scientific theory. Luminiferous aether—or "light-bearing aether," a theory first postulated by Isaac Newton in the 18th century, later refined by James Clerk Maxwell in the 19th century and ultimately replaced by Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity—is most simply defined as the medium for the propagation of light. According to Deutsch, Einstein possessed the computational justification for the presumed existence of the aether, but decided to discard the principle since it was too cumbersome to work through to its logical conclusion. The author cites many landmark experiments, as well as countless algebraic equations and diagrams… May interest those well versed in high-level physics.