Abstract
Newton’s color theory, published in the Philosophical Transactions of 1672, forced physicists to make their position clear [1]. They had to make choices with regard to two separate questions. The first question was: is white light heterogeneous, consisting of rays which are refracted differently according to their color? Or is white light homogeneous, but able to be modified by a prism to form a colored spectrum? The answer to this question depended on how Newton’s experiments were viewed, especially the value attached to the experimentum crucis. Newton himself chose unequivocally for the first option, the heterogeneity of white light.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Note
1: Hakfoort, 1986.
2: Fehér, 1990.
3: van Musschenbroek, 1734.
4: Wolff, 1710.
5: Guerlac, 1981.
6: Buffon, 1734, p. 147.
7: Ronchi, 1970, p. 215.
8: Priestley, 1772.
9: d’Ortous de Mairan, 1717, p. 11.
10: Voigt, 1796, p. 238.
11: Franssen, 1991, p. 16; Jaeger, 1994.
12: Nuguet, 1705, p. 684 (transl., by Halbertsma, p. 38).
13: Franssen, 1991.
14: ibidem, p. 18.
15: Castel 1740, p. 38, transl., by Franssen, p. 27.
16: Rodari, 1996.
17: Goethe, 1810 (2), p. 421.
18: van Huffel, 1916; Rodari, 1996.
19: LeBlon, 1735, in: van Huffel, 1916, p. 23.
20: ibidem, p. 30.
21: Forbes, 1980: Grüsser, 1989.
22: Schiffermüller, 1772, p. 13.
23: Goethe, 1810 (2), p. 454.
24: Voigt, 1796, p. 297.
25: Lomonosov, 1756, p. 257.
26: ibidem, p. 263.
27: Mollon, 1993; see also Walls, 1956.
28: Palmer, 1777, p. 10.
29: Wünsch, 1792, p. 29.
30: Peacock, 1855; Sherman, 1981.
31: Young, 1802(a), 1802(b).
32: Young, 1802 (b), p. 387.
32: Peacock, 1855.
33: Ritter, 1806 II, p. 107.
35: Young, 1802 (a).
36: Young, 1802 (b).
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Crone, R.A. (1999). From Newton to Young. In: A History of Color. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0870-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0870-9_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-015-3941-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0870-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive