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
9. THERE is a farther appearance in the rainbow particularly described
about five years ago[333], which is, that under the upper part or
the inner bow there appears often two or three orders of very faint
colours, making alternate arches of green, and a reddish purple. At the
time this appearance was taken notice of, I gave my thoughts concerning
the cause of it[334], which I shall here repeat. Sir ~ISAAC NEWTON~ has
observed, that in glass, which is polished and quick-silvered, there is
an irregular refraction made, whereby some small quantity of light is
scattered from the principal reflected beam[335]. If we allow the same
thing to happen in the reflection whereby the rainbow is caused, it
seems sufficient to produce the appearance now mentioned.
10. LET A B (in fig. 162.) represent a globule of water, B the point
from whence the rays of any determinate species being reflected to C,
and afterwards emerging in the line C D, would proceed to the eye, and
cause the appearance of that colour in the rainbow, which appertains to
this species. Here suppose, that besides what is reflected regularly,
some small part of the light is irregularly scattered every way; so
that from the point B, besides the rays that are regularly reflected
from B to C, some scattered rays will return in other lines, as
in B E, B F, B G, B H, on each side the line B C. Now it has been
observed above[336], that the rays of light in their passage from one
superficies of a refracting body to the other undergo alternate fits
of easy transmission and reflection, succeeding each other at equal
intervals; insomuch that if they reach the farther superficies in one
sort of those fits, they shall be transmitted; if in the other kind
of them, they shall rather be reflected back. Whence the rays that
proceed from B to C, and emerge in the line C D, being in a fit of
easy transmission, the scattered rays, that fall at a small distance
without these on either side (suppose the rays that pass in the lines
B E, B G) shall fall on the surface in a fit of easy reflection, and
shall not emerge; but the scattered rays, that pass at some distance
without these last, shall arrive at the surface of the globule in a fit
of easy transmission, and break through that surface. Suppose these
rays to pass in the lines B F, B H; the former of which rays shall have
had one fit more of easy transmission, and the latter one fit less,
than the rays that pass from B to C. Now both these rays, when they
go out of the globule, will proceed by the refraction of the water
In the lines F I, H K, that will be inclined almost equally to the
rays incident on the globule, which come from the sun; but the angles
of their inclination will be less than the angle, in which the rays
emerging in the line C D are inclined to those incident rays. And after
the same manner rays scattered from the point B at a certain distance
without these will emerge out of the globule, while the intermediate
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