The Allais effect is a claimed anomalous precession of the plane of oscillation of a pendulum during a solar eclipse. It has been speculated to be unexplained by standard physical models of gravitation, but recent mainstream physics publications tend rather to posit conventional explanations for the reported observations.
The effect was first reported in 1954 by Maurice Allais, a French polymath who went on to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. He reported another observation of the effect during a 1959 solar eclipse.
Prof. Allais’s explanation for this and other anomalies is that space evinces certain anisotropic characteristics, which he ascribes to motion through an aether which is partially entrained by planetary bodies. He has presented this hypothesis in his 1997 French book L’Anisotropie de l’espace.
Exotic explanations for Allais and related effects have not gained significant traction amongst mainstream scientists.
Read more about Allais Effect: Subsequent Observations, References and External Links
Famous quotes containing the word effect:
“To say that a man is vain means merely that he is pleased with the effect he produces on other people. A conceited man is satisfied with the effect he produces on himself.”
—Max Beerbohm (1872–1956)