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
Suppose now that O [in _Fig._ 15.] is the Spectator's Eye, and OP a Line
drawn parallel to the Sun's Rays and let POE, POF, POG, POH, be Angles
of 40 Degr. 17 Min. 42 Degr. 2 Min. 50 Degr. 57 Min. and 54 Degr. 7 Min.
respectively, and these Angles turned about their common Side OP, shall
with their other Sides OE, OF; OG, OH, describe the Verges of two
Rain-bows AF, BE and CHDG. For if E, F, G, H, be drops placed any where
in the conical Superficies described by OE, OF, OG, OH, and be
illuminated by the Sun's Rays SE, SF, SG, SH; the Angle SEO being equal
to the Angle POE, or 40 Degr. 17 Min. shall be the greatest Angle in
which the most refrangible Rays can after one Reflexion be refracted to
the Eye, and therefore all the Drops in the Line OE shall send the most
refrangible Rays most copiously to the Eye, and thereby strike the
Senses with the deepest violet Colour in that Region. And in like
manner the Angle SFO being equal to the Angle POF, or 42 Degr. 2 Min.
shall be the greatest in which the least refrangible Rays after one
Reflexion can emerge out of the Drops, and therefore those Rays shall
come most copiously to the Eye from the Drops in the Line OF, and strike
the Senses with the deepest red Colour in that Region. And by the same
Argument, the Rays which have intermediate Degrees of Refrangibility
shall come most copiously from Drops between E and F, and strike the
Senses with the intermediate Colours, in the Order which their Degrees
of Refrangibility require, that is in the Progress from E to F, or from
the inside of the Bow to the outside in this order, violet, indigo,
blue, green, yellow, orange, red. But the violet, by the mixture of the
white Light of the Clouds, will appear faint and incline to purple.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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