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Instrumentation and measurement

Instrumentation and measurement

Measuring up: how our search for the speed of light led to our current understanding of physics

26 Jun 2021
Taken from the June 2021 issue of Physics World where it first appeared under the title "Light at the end of the tunnel".

David Appell reviews Lightspeed: the Ghostly Aether and the Race to Measure the Speed of Light by John Spence

Venus transit
Observational clues The transit of Venus allows a geometrical measurement of the Earth–Sun distance, and a measurement of the speed of light. (Courtesy: iStock/milehightraveler)
It is arguably the most important constant in physics, it is easily visualized by anyone and its sym

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David Appell is a science writer living in Keizer, Oregon, US, www.davidappell.com
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