Data from Michelson, Pease and Pearson (1935)

Here is a full tabulation of the speed of light data from Reference (1) which describes the experimental apparatus and method of determining the speed of light.

Michelson died before the completion of the observations and his co-workers arrived at a measurement of the speed of light of 299,774 km/s with an average deviation of 11 km/s from the mean.

A considered statistical analysis of the data will be posted here soon.

Return to speed of light home page

This page last updated 23rd May 2001

copyright ©2001 by A N Cutler

References

(1) Michelson, A A et al. (1935) Measurement of the velocity of light in a partial vacuum, Astrophysical Journal 82 ,26

Table of observations

Series

Date

Time (PST)

individuals (km/s)

1

19-Feb-31

9:25 - 10:05

299800

299785

2

20-21/2/1931

- 2:00

299800

299747

299729

299778

299801

299789

3

23-Feb-31

9:00 - 10:20

299794

299774

299733

4

24-Feb-31

9:50 - 11:10

299759

299778

299743

5

26-Feb-31

12:30 - 2:40

299758

299810

299749

299765

299783

6

26-Feb-31

8:20 - 10:00

299808

299778

299753

299751

299750

7

26-Feb-31

10:01 - 11:10

299750

299775

299759

299758

299748

8

26-27/2/1931

11:10 - 2:02

299765

299755

299736

299795

299775

299776

299760

9

27-Feb-31

8:16 - 9:26

299862

299829

299829

299773

299758

299784

299761

299771

10

27-Feb-31

9:27 - 11:05

299798

299763

299774

299760

299759

299777

299781

299764

11

01-Mar-31

9:00 - 11:10

299835

299805

299780

299778

299777

12

02-Mar-31

8:22 - 9:04

299748

299773

299757

299756

299746

13

02-Mar-31

9:05 - 9:46

299795

299781

299750

299769

299765

14

25-Mar-31

299764

299769

299733

299729

299732

299772

15

26-Mar-31

299729

299747

299775

299746

299752

16

26-Mar-31

299717

299736

299765

299752

299735

299755

17

27-Mar-31

8:33 - 9:31

299738

299754

299732

299757

299754

299754

18

27-Mar-31

9:35 - 11:09

299753

299740

299732

299740

299732

299761

19

30-Mar-31

9:00 - 9:59

299730

299762

299787

299713

299731

299744

299741

20

30-Mar-31

10:00 - 11:12

299728

299750

299742

299758

299769

299733

299734

21

31-Mar-31

1:20 - 1:43

299726

299732

299704

299750

22

31-Mar-31

8:30 - 9:24

299765

299791

299722

299761

299731

299761

23

31-Mar-31

9:25 - 10:00

299757

299768

299757

299740

299764

24

03-Apr-31

9:55 - 10:34

299755

299742

299740

299730

299738

25

03-Apr-31

10:36 - 11:18

299742

299749

299727

299757

299730

26

08-Apr-31

8:25 - 9:00

299703

299793

299769

27

15-Apr-31

8:00 - 9.28

299759

299691

299785

299765

299769

28

15-Apr-31

10:14 - 10:49

299777

299785

299748

29

16-Apr-31

7:50 - 9:12

299783

299762

299748

299785

299786

299788

299776

299777

30

16-Apr-31

9:17 - 10:31

299774

299764

299769

299772

299792

299775

299770

299792

31

17-Apr-31

8:23 - 9:18

299775

299783

299764

299764

299769

32

17-Apr-31

9:19 - 9:51

299769

299765

299794

299776

33

21-Apr-31

7:45 - 8:38

299830

299804

299781

299787

299780

299794

299775

34

21-Apr-31

8:39 - 9:39

299759

299789

299773

299787

299783

299783

35

21-Apr-31

9:41 - 10:33

299777

299758

299773

299769

299780

299775

36

22-Apr-31

7:54 - 8:22

299784

299783

299779

299766

37

07-May-31

9:35 - 10:24

299776

299803

299801

299776

38

14-May-31

7:40 - 8:30

299767

299775

299777

299776

299780

299768

39

14-May-31

8:31 - 9:41

299778

299759

299768

299763

299767

299762

40

14-May-31

9:42 - 10:30

299770

299760

299783

299792

299780

41

14-15/5/1931

11:48 - 12:36

299773

299770

299772

299773

299778

299771

42

15-May-31

12:37 - 1:15

299776

299767

299768

299778

299786

43

15-May-31

7:29 - 8:23

299794

299783

299770

299788

299760

299768

299790

44

15-May-31

8:52 - 9:39

299777

299763

299758

299776

299774

299760

299761

45

15-May-31

9:56 - 10:38

299769

299771

299772

299790

299787

299759

46

16-May-31

12:05 - 12:58

299777

299769

299766

299779

299784

299780

299788

299780

47

01-Jul-31

8:08 - 9:52

299766

299788

299758

299771

299767

299806

48

03-Jul-31

7:15 - 8:18

299781

299775

299768

299789

299762

49

06-Jul-31

7:33 - 8:22

299782

299775

299766

50

07-Jul-31

7:15 - 8:03

299750

299748

299771

299798

299798

51

07-Jul-31

8:14 - 9:18

299752

299790

299766

299757

299754

52

08-Jul-31

7:15 - 8:45

299789

299790

299783

299761

299771

299768

53

13-Jul-31

7:06 - 8:25

299749

299800

299784

299794

299809

299738

54

14-Jul-31

7:25 - 8:24

299798

299772

299768

299787

299764

55

03-Mar-32

9:20 - 9:49

299813

299816

56

04-Mar-32

7:23 - 8:11

299770

299770

299771

299779

57

04-Mar-32

8:20 - 10:01

299830

299777

299830

299822

299799

299808

58

04-Mar-32

10:23 - 11:14

299811

299816

299827

299808

59

08-Mar-32

7:55 - 8:45

299793

299790

299801

299800

60

08-Mar-32

8:49 - 9:54

299783

299788

299764

299794

61

08-Mar-32

9:56 - 10:59

299784

299805

299813

299770

62

09-Mar-32

7:39 - 8:40

299796

299811

299811

299799

299786

63

09-Mar-32

9:06 - 9:52

299846

299809

299820

299811

64

09-Mar-32

10:15 - 11:11

299797

299808

299820

299803

299818

65

10-Mar-32

7:35 - 9:39

299765

299765

299758

299743

299735

299756

66

11-Mar-32

7:58 - 8:40

299812

299778

299793

299774

67

11-Mar-32

8:49 - 10:11

299767

299776

299777

299764

68

11-Mar-32

10:12 - 10:57

299755

299782

299777

299773

69

15-Mar-32

7:59 - 9:34

299784

299766

299783

299757

70

15-Mar-32

10:13 - 10:41

299769

299759

299794

71

16-Mar-32

7:51 - 8:27

299773

299768

299775

299786

72

16-Mar-32

8:30 - 9:25

299784

299774

299773

299785

73

16-Mar-32

9:50 - 10:42

299786

299794

299775

299766

299793

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