Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part II. For the year 1758.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.Various
History
Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part II. For the year 1758.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.
Various
Science -- Periodicals
I ground a wedge of common plate glass to an angle of somewhat less
than 9 degrees, which refracted the mean rays about 5 degrees. I then
made a wedge-like vessel, as in the former experiment, and filling it
with water, managed it so, that it refracted equally with the glass
wedge; or, in other words, the difference of their refractions was
nothing, and objects viewed thro’ them appeared neither raised nor
depressed. This was done with an intent to observe the same thing over
again in these small angles, which I had seen in the prism: and it
appeared indeed the same in proportion, or as near as I could judge;
for notwithstanding the refractions were here also equal, yet the
divergency of the colours by the glass was vastly greater than that
by the water; for objects seen by these two refractions were very
much discoloured. Now this was a demonstration, that the divergency
of the light, by the different refrangibility, was far from being
equal in these two refractions. I also saw, from the position of the
colours, that the excess of divergency was in the glass; so that I
increased the angle of the water-wedge, by different trials, till the
divergency of the light by the water was equal to that by the glass;
that is, till the object, tho’ considerably refracted, by the excess
of the refraction of the water, appeared nevertheless quite free from
any colours proceeding from the different refrangibility of light;
and, as near as I could then measure, the refraction by the water was
about ⁵⁄₄ of that by the glass. Indeed I was not very exact in taking
the measures, because my business was not at that time about the
proportions, so much as to shew, that the divergency of the colours, by
different substances, was by no means in proportion to the refractions;
and that there was a possibility of refraction without any divergency
of the light at all.
Having, about the beginning of the year 1757, tried these experiments,
I soon after set about grinding telescopic object-glasses upon the
new principles of refractions, which I had gathered from them;
which object-glasses were compounded of two spherical glasses with
water between them. These glasses I had the satisfaction to find,
as I had expected, free from the errors arising from the different
refrangibility of light: for the refractions, by which the rays were
brought to a focus, were every-where the differences between two
contrary refractions, in the same manner, and in the same proportions,
as in the experiment with the wedges.
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