Opticks : $b or, A treatise of the reflections, refractions, inflections and colours of lightNewton, Isaac
Science
Opticks : $b or, A treatise of the reflections, refractions, inflections and colours of light
Newton, Isaac
Optics -- Early works to 1800
But it's farther to be noted, that the most luminous of the Prismatick
Colours are the yellow and orange. These affect the Senses more strongly
than all the rest together, and next to these in strength are the red
and green. The blue compared with these is a faint and dark Colour, and
the indigo and violet are much darker and fainter, so that these
compared with the stronger Colours are little to be regarded. The Images
of Objects are therefore to be placed, not in the Focus of the mean
refrangible Rays, which are in the Confine of green and blue, but in the
Focus of those Rays which are in the middle of the orange and yellow;
there where the Colour is most luminous and fulgent, that is in the
brightest yellow, that yellow which inclines more to orange than to
green. And by the Refraction of these Rays (whose Sines of Incidence and
Refraction in Glass are as 17 and 11) the Refraction of Glass and
Crystal for Optical Uses is to be measured. Let us therefore place the
Image of the Object in the Focus of these Rays, and all the yellow and
orange will fall within a Circle, whose Diameter is about the 250th
Part of the Diameter of the Aperture of the Glass. And if you add the
brighter half of the red, (that half which is next the orange) and the
brighter half of the green, (that half which is next the yellow) about
three fifth Parts of the Light of these two Colours will fall within the
same Circle, and two fifth Parts will fall without it round about; and
that which falls without will be spread through almost as much more
space as that which falls within, and so in the gross be almost three
times rarer. Of the other half of the red and green, (that is of the
deep dark red and willow green) about one quarter will fall within this
Circle, and three quarters without, and that which falls without will be
spread through about four or five times more space than that which falls
within; and so in the gross be rarer, and if compared with the whole
Light within it, will be about 25 times rarer than all that taken in the
gross; or rather more than 30 or 40 times rarer, because the deep red in
the end of the Spectrum of Colours made by a Prism is very thin and
rare, and the willow green is something rarer than the orange and
yellow. The Light of these Colours therefore being so very much rarer
than that within the Circle, will scarce affect the Sense, especially
since the deep red and willow green of this Light, are much darker
Colours than the rest. And for the same reason the blue and violet being
much darker Colours than these, and much more rarified, may be
neglected. For the dense and bright Light of the Circle, will obscure
the rare and weak Light of these dark Colours round about it, and
render them almost insensible. The sensible Image of a lucid Point is
therefore scarce broader than a Circle, whose Diameter is the 250th Part
of the Diameter of the Aperture of the Object-glass of a good Telescope,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account