Today is the last day to vote in Cosmic Variance’s Greatest Physics Paper contest. If you haven’t voted yet, go over there and pick a paper.
Locally, I’m still collecting nominees for the Greatest Physics Experiment. A quick scan through the comments gives the current list as:
- The Michelson-Morley experiment disproving the aether.
- Rutherford’s discovery of the nucleus.
- Aspect’s Bell Inequality test.
- Galileo’s inclined planes, or possibly the discovery of the moons of Jupiter.
- The Mossbauer Effect.
If you have a favorite physics experiment, and don’t see it on that list, go leave a comment nominating it. Some time after Clifford wraps up the “Greatest Paper” contest, I’ll write descriptions of the nominees, and hold an experimental vote.
Being a theorist myself, I am terribly rusty (or ignorant) about experiments. But here are some cool experiments that come to mind (no particular order, and apologies if I got things wrong).
Hertz’ discovery of electromagnetic waves.
Curie-Becquerel’s discovery of radioactivity.
Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays.
Hubble’s discovery of the galactic redshift.
Anderson’s discovery of positrons.
Hahn-Meitner’s discovery of nuclear fission.
Penzias-Wilson’s discovery of 3K radiation.
Madam Wu’s discovery of parity violation.
Reines et al’s discovery of the neutrino.
Rubbia et al’s discovery of W and Z.
At least I think these experiments can compete with Aspect and Moessbauer.