Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
History
Miscellanea Curiosa, Vol. 1: Containing a collection of some of the principal phaenomena in nature, accounted for by the greatest philosophers of this age
Natural history; Science -- Early works to 1800; Voyages and travels -- Early works to 1800
If you proceed further to try the impossibility of changing any
uncompounded Colour (which I have asserted in the third and thirteenth
Propositions,) 'tis requisite that the Room may be very dark, lest any
scattering light, mixing with the Colour, disturb and allay it, and
render it compound, contrary to the design of the Experiment. 'Tis also
requisite, that there be a perfecter separation of the Colours, than,
after the manner above described, can be made by the Refraction of one
single Prism; and how to make such farther separations, will scarce be
difficult to them, that consider the discovered Laws of Refractions. But
if trial shall be made with Colours not throughly separated, there must
be allowed changes proportionable to the mixture. Thus if compound
Yellow Light fall upon blue _Bise_, the Bise will not appear perfectly
yellow, but rather green, because there are in the yellow mixture many
Rays indued with green, and green being less remote from the usual blue
Colour of Bise than yellow, is the more copiously reflected by it.
In like manner, if any one of the Prismatick Colours, suppose red, be
intercepted, on design to try the asserted impossibility of reproducing
that Colour out of the others which are pretermitted; 'tis necessary,
either that the Colours be very well parted before the red be
intercepted; or that, together with the red, the neighbouring Colours,
into which any red is secretly dispersed, (that is, the yellow, and
perhaps green too) be intercepted; or else, that allowance be made for
the emerging of so much red out of the yellow green, as may possibly
have been diffused, and scatteringly blended in those Colours. And if
these things be observed, the new Production of red, or any intercepted
Colour, will be found impossible.
This, I conceive, is enough for an Introduction to Experiments of this
kind; which if any of the _Royal Society_ shall be so curious as to
prosecute, I should be very glad to be informed with what success: That,
if any thing seem to be defective, or to thwart this Relation, I may
have an opportunity of giving farther Direction about it, or of
acknowledging my Errors, if I have committed any.
_Since the Publication of this Theory, some Misunderstandings happening
between a _French_ Philosopher at _Paris_ and Mr. _Newton_, he has
endeavour'd to explain himself a little further in these Things,
according to the following Method._
_DEFINITIONS._
1. I call that Light Homogeneal, Similar, or Uniform, whose Rays are
equally refrangible.
2. And that Heterogeneal, whose Rays are unequally refrangible.
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