Laboratory Measurement of the Velocity of Light

An experimental method is presented for a reasonably precise, direct measurement of the velocity of light using simple apparatus. The method is based on the result that the Fourier transform of a pair of identical pulses yields a frequency spectrum with zeros which are simply related to the time separation of the pulses. The principal pieces of apparatus required for the experiment are a photomultiplier and high-voltage power supply, and a short-wave radio receiver. With this relatively simple equipment and path lengths of fifty to one hundred feet, c may be readily measured to an accuracy of 1% or better.