Fitzgerald, George Francis

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Fitzgerald, George Francis (1851–1901) Irish physicist who researched electrolysis and electromagnetism and who is noted for his theory of electromagnetic radiation. As an explanation of the Michelson-Morley experiment to determine the Earth's movement through the ether, Fitzgerald suggested the theory that objects change length (the Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction) due to this type of movement. This theory was incorporated into Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity. See also Lorentz, Hendrik Antoon; Michelson, Albert Abraham

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Fitzgerald, George Francis

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