From: et@teal.csn.org (Eric H. Taylor)
Subject: Re: Why C? Why Ask Why?
Followup-To: et@et.com
Summary: more on ether
Keywords: either, ether, aether, etc.
Organization: Eric Taylor and Associates Inc
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 20:35:15 GMT

In article <1992Aug10.132516.20461@rhrk.uni-kl.de> kring@efes.physik.uni-kl.de (Thomas Kettenring) writes:
>In article <1992Aug7.213504.16540@midway.uchicago.edu>, ttak@ellis.uchicago.edu (toki  takeuchi) writes:
>[...]
>
>>A greater
>>distinction between its particle trait and wave traits (I just thought
>>of this one).
>
>I didn't understand it.
>
>From another article:
>>[..] why, if we observe
>>light as a particle, light would be deflected by the either of the
>>two slits.
>
>I didn't understand that too.  "the either"?

He must have meant the ether (or aether).

>
>-- 
>--------------thomas kettenring, 2 dan, kaiserslautern, germany---------------
>Definition:  Idiot-proof  -  you are idiot-proof when you NEVER flame anybody.

But note that this is not just a silly play on words here. When light passes
thru the two slits, it IS transmitting thru a medium. And the behaivor at the
slit is a wavelike behaivor, rather than a particle like behaivor. Remember
that the definition of aether is "the light bearing aether". I am not
saying that light needs an aether to transmit thru, just, it is going thru
a medium.

However, what you should do is model the light wave in terms of the particle
to slit reaction... First of all, you've got to realize the size of the
photon involved, and then the size of the slit. This is a simple process.
simply take 1/2 the wavelength to get the size of a photon. Also realize
that the photon is spherical in shape. Now what is the size of the slit?
If the slit is greater that 1/2 wavelength, then the photon will pass
thru undisturbed. If the slit is 1/4 wavelength in size, then 50% of the
photons will pass undisturbed, and the rest will be deflected or absorbed.
Also, note that I am saying this in reference to a random distribution of
polarizations of the photons. In other words on a particle like behaivor,
a single photon will either pass, be absorbed OR will be deflected. On a
wavelike behaivor, the wavefront is simply a summation of all the photons.
You only have wavelike behaivor for a collection of photons. Single photons
can be modeled classically using simple kinematics.  The deflection is
also the same thing as an index of refraction from one medium to another.
The edge of a slit is a medium, and photons that interact with that medium
will be refracted.  I should think that an interesting experiment to
understand these effects would be to measure the frequencies (or
wavelengths) and the polarizations of light AFTER having passed thru a
slit. Furthermore, doing the experiment with laser, polarized, and/or
filtered light would be very illuminating.

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