A View of Sir Isaac Newton's PhilosophyPemberton, Henry
Science
A View of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy
Pemberton, Henry
Newton, Isaac, 1642-1727. Principia
The rest remaining as before, let P Q. (in fig. 127.) be the convex
glass, causing the rays to meet upon the paper H G I K in the point N,
I say that point or rather spot of light shall appear white, without
the least tincture of any colour. But it is evident that into this
spot are now gathered all those rays, which before when separate gave
all those different colours; which shews that whiteness may be made by
mixing those colours: especially if we consider, it can be proved that
the glass P Q does not alter the colour of the rays which pass through
it. Which is done thus: if the paper be made to approach the glass P
Q, the colours will manifest themselves as far as the magnitude of the
spectrum, which the paper receives, will permit. Suppose it in the
situation _h g i k_, and that it then receive the spectrum _l m_, this
spectrum shall be much smaller, than if the glass P Q were removed,
and therefore the colours cannot be so much separated; but yet the
extremity _m_ shall manifestly appear red, and the other extremity _l_
shall be blue; and these colours as well as the intermediate ones shall
discover themselves more perfectly, the farther the paper is removed
from N, that is, the larger the spectrum is: the same thing happens,
if the paper be removed farther off from P Q than N. Suppose into the
position θ γ η ϰ, the spectrum λ μ painted upon it shall again discover
its colours, and that more distinctly, the farther the paper is
removed, but only in an inverted order: for as before, when the paper
was nearer the convex glass, than at N, the upper part of the image was
blue, and the under red; now the upper part shall be red, and the under
blue: because the rays cross at N.
12. NAY farther that the whiteness at the focus N, is made by the union
of the colours may be proved without removing the paper out of the
focus, by intercepting with any opake body part of the light near the
glass; for if the under part, that is the red, or more properly the
red-making rays, as they are styled by our author, are intercepted,
the spot shall take a bluish hue; and if more of the inferior rays are
cut off, so that neither the red-making nor orange-making rays, and if
you please the yellow-making rays likewise, shall fall upon the spot;
then shall the spot incline more and more to the remaining colours.
In like manner if you cut off the upper part of the rays, that is the
violet coloured or indigo-making rays, the spot shall turn reddish, and
become, more so, the more of those opposite colours are intercepted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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