Abstract
EVERY accurate measurement of a physical quantity depends ultimately upon a measurement of length or of angle; and it will readily be admitted that no effort should be spared to make it possible to attain the utmost limit of precision in these fundamental quantities. At present, lengths are measured by the microscope, and angles by the telescope; and the extraordinary degree of accuracy already attained by the use of these instruments depends entirely on the properties of their optical parts in their relation to light-waves; so that, in fact, light-waves are now the most convenient and universally employed means we possess for making accurate measurements. It can readily be shown that this high degree of accuracy is especially due to the extreme minuteness of these waves.
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MICHELSON, A. Light-Waves and their Application to Metrology. Nature 49, 56–60 (1893). https://doi.org/10.1038/049056a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/049056a0