APS News

December 2014 (Volume 23, Number 11)

Historic Sites: Muon Time Dilation Experiment

Muon Mt Washington Summit
Credit: Mount Washington Observatory

Muon plaque


In the early 1960s, David H. Frisch and James H. Smith measured the rate of detection of muons at the observatory on top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire (elevation 6289 feet) and again at sea level, obtaining agreement with the time-dilation prediction of special relativity. They published their results and made an educational movie. In commemoration of this combined research/outreach event, on September 6, 2014, APS President Malcolm Beasley presented a plaque (above), as part of the APS Historic Sites Initiative, to Mount Washington Observatory Executive Director Scot Henley and Director of Summit Operations Cyrena-Marie Briedé.

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Editor: David Voss
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December 2014 (Volume 23, Number 11)

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Articles in this Issue
Texas-Sized APS March Meeting in San Antonio
Benefactor Jay Jones Funds New APS Medal
2014 PhysicsQuest Winners Announced
APS Members and Council Vote Yes on Corporate Reform
A Brief History of Stephen Hawking
Black Holes, Hollywood, and Interstellar: Q&A with Kip Thorne
Science Collides with Politics
Outlook for Science after Congressional Changeover
Retiring Representative Rush Holt to Take Helm at AAAS
PRX Takes on a New Role
Historic Sites: Muon Time Dilation Experiment
Members In the Media
Education Corner
This Month in Physics History
The Washington Dispatch
International News
The Back Page