In this classic exposition, Ernst Mach presents a detailed account of the experimental and theoretical evolution of our understanding of light phenomena and apparatus. Beginning with the philosophic and physiological speculation arising from early experiments on light and color perception, he proceeds to a thorough examination of the history of diopterics, including the roles of Huyghens, Galileo, Descartes, the Bernoullis, Kepler, and other scientists.
Full descriptions of hundreds of experiments and detailed treatments of theory cover Newton's work with color and dispersion, his concept of the periodicity of light, the development of the theory of interference, and the perfection and elaboration of these ideas up until the mid-nineteenth century. A survey of polarization ranges from Bartholinus's paper on double refracting Iceland spar through work by Malus, Brewster, Biot, Arago, to the definitive work of Young and Fresnel. The final third of the book considers the mathematical representation of the properties of light; refinements in the theory of linear, circular, and elliptic polarization; and advanced diffraction experiments, including the theory of the diffraction grating.
Students, teachers, and historians of science as well as physicists, engineers, designers of optical systems, and all readers interested in the development and perfection of scientific research will find this volume a stimulating and informative resource.
- 352 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
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Table of contents
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- TRANSLATORS’ NOTE
- Dedication
- PREFACE
- Table of Contents
- Table of Figures
- CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER II - THE RECTILINEAR PROPAGATION OF LIGHT
- CHAPTER III - REFLECTION AND REFRACTION
- CHAPTER IV - THE EARLY KNOWLEDGE OF VISION
- CHAPTER V - THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIOPTRICS
- CHAPTER VI - THE COMPOSITION OF LIGHT
- CHAPTER VII - THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY OF COLOUR AND DISPERSION
- CHAPTER VIII - PERIODICITY
- CHAPTER IX - THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY OF INTERFERENCE
- CHAPTER X - POLARIZATION
- CHAPTER XI - THE MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF LIGHT
- CHAPTER XII - THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF POLARIZATION
- CHAPTER XIII - THE EXPLANATION OF RECTILINEAR RAYS, REFLECTION, AND REFRACTION BY THE PROPAGATION OF WAVES
- CHAPTER XIV - A FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF LIGHT BY MEANS OF PERIODICITY DIFFRACTION
- APPENDIX
- NAME INDEX
- SUBJECT INDEX
- DOVER PHOENIX EDITIONS - A series of hardcover reprints of major works in mathematics, science and engineering
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Yes, you can access The Principles of Physical Optics by Ernst Mach in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Physical Sciences & Physics. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.