Opticks (Great Mind) (Paperback)

by Isaac, Sir Newton (Author) "BY the Rays of Light I understand its least Parts, and those as well Successive in the same Lines, as Contemporary in several Lines..." (more)
Key Phrases: colorific qualities, refrangible ones, outmost red, Sun's Light, Rays of Light, Sine of Incidence (more...)

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Product Description
Before Newton completed his masterpiece, "The Principia Mathematica", he had established his reputation with this treatise on the properties of light. Though on a narrower topic, this work is as impressive in its own right as "The Principia", for it provided a scientific analysis of light that became the basis of our modern understanding. Based on experiments in which a beam of light was passed through a prism, Newton showed that white light was complex and could be analysed as a blend of the various colours of the spectrum. Divided into three books, the first describes his experiments with the spectrum. The second deals with the ring phenomenon, in which concentric rings of colours appear in the thin layer of air separating a lens and an underlying plate of glass. The third book describes his work on diffraction. Also discussed is Newton's theory that light consists basically of 'material corpuscles' in motion. Though clearly intended for fellow scientists this classic monument of modern physics is surprisingly readable and understandable for nonspecialists.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591020956
• ISBN-13: 978-1591020950
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #578,957 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Opticks Reviewed, June 9, 2007

By	Kevin "Kevin" (Az. USA) - See all my reviews

Overall the book covered the material well. However the book was somewhat difficult to follow. It took a couple of passes to clarify what was being said.

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, February 8, 2009

By	Viktor Blasjo - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Opticks: Or a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections & Colours of Light-Based on the Fourth Edition London, 1730 (Paperback)

There are two main arguments for a corpuscular view of light:

(1) Light consists of rays of inherent and inalterable dispositions (as regards colour, refrangibility, etc.). This is argued for throughout, but see esp. the classic prism experiments in props. I and II. Wave theorists, on the contrary, base their explanations on modifications of rays.

(2) The law of refraction "may be demonstrated upon this Supposition. That Bodies refract Light by acting upon its Rays in Lines perpendicular to their Surfaces" (p. 79). Consider what happens as the ray passes through the strip from y=c to the surface boundary at y=0. Newton states the lemma that the vertical velocity v_2 at y=0 will be determined by the initial vertical velocity v_1 at y=c and the would-be vertical velocity v_0 at y=0 if v_1 had been 0, as follows: v_2^2=v_1^2+v_0^2. Newton omits the proof as being too easy; it may be supplied as follows. Think of the v's as functions of y and differentiate. Both sides vill be of the form 2v(dv/dy) = 2(dy/dt)(dv/dy) = 2(dv/dt) = 2a = proportional to F, which is equal at equal y's. Thus since the lemma holds for c=0 and the derivatives are equal it holds generally. Though Newton emphasises that he has not assumed anything about the nature of light, we see that this proof makes most sense from a corpuscular point of view since it in effect appeals to F=ma. A further side effect of this proof is that it implies that light speeds up when it is refracted towards the normal, which implies that light is slowest in vacuum and fastest in dense materials.

(1) and (2) are elegantly combined if rays of different colours consist of particles of different sizes.

Further arguments against the wave theory (Query 28): light does not "bend into the Shadow"; it cannot explain "the unusual Refraction of Island Crystal"; it needs two aethers to explain the "fits" in the next paragraph; "against filling the Heavens with fluid Mediums, unless they be exceedingly rare, a great Objection arises from the regular and very lasting Motions of the Planets ... for thence it is manifest, that the Heavens are void of all sensible Resistance."

Nevertheless, waves are needed to explain interference patterns and the fact that light is in alternating "fits of easy Reflexion and easy Transmission" (p. 281). This can be done as follows (Query 18). When light goes from one medium to another it strikes the aether, creating waves like ripples on a pond. These ripples travel faster than the rays and "by endeavouring to expand itself" (p. 352) the aether is thus alternately pushing and pulling on the rays, causing the fits. The existence on the aether is suggested by the fact that thermometers behave the same in vacuum as in air (Query 18). Since light and heat are capable of generating each other (Queries 8-10), it is plausible that this aether is the same as that of light.

The other major theme in the book is colour theory. This is all very good, but it is not very exciting since these ideas are so commonplace today. An interesting exception is Query 14 where it is suggested that harmonious colour combinations are due to harmonious combinations of frequencies, as in music.

17 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Difficult to read, but interesting from a historical p.o.v., December 24, 2001

By	GPK (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opticks: Or a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections & Colours of Light-Based on the Fourth Edition London, 1730 (Paperback)

Having done a Ph.D. in optics, I have read quite some books on optics and out of curiocity I bought this book, but I am not very pleased with it. First, it is difficult to read because of the old English language and structure. For native English speakers this carries perhaps not so much weight, but for me it did. Second, because it is a collection of Newton's works, it contains of course also many not-so-interesting discussions which you have to 'consume' before realising it was not so interesting.

What is nice though, is that the book contains many so-called queries, which are possible explanations of various optical phenomena, explanations/assumptions Newton could not prove/disprove at the time. This is fascinating reading, because many of these turned out to be true (or false, but even then: still interesting to know what he thought).

Overall impression: if you are interested in the history of optics/Newton then it is a nice book. But just for browsing in the evening: no.