Optics in the Age of Euler: Conceptions of the Nature of Light, 1700-1795

by Casper Hakfoort

Overview

This book studies the eighteenth-century origins and early phase of a fundamental debate in optics: whether light is a particle or wave. Specifically, it is the first in-depth study of the contents and reception of Leonhard Euler's wave theory of light. The author shows that contrary to what has been assumed, the debate did not start in 1672 with Newton's particle theory of light. Rather, it only really got under way after Euler published his wave theory in 1746. He also corrects the misapprehension that Newton's theory was prevalently held in Germany in the early years of the debate, but really only became dominant around 1795. In his discussion, Professor Hakfoort demonstrates in dramatic fashion the relevance of chemical experiments on physical optics. Finally, in the epilogue, the author reflects on the mathematical, experimental, and metaphysical aspects of physical optics that shaped early modern science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521404716
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/27/1995
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. The debate on colours, 1672–1720; 3. Theoretical traditions in physical optics, 1700–45; 4. Euler's 'Nova theoria' (1746); 5. The debate in Germany on the nature of light, 1740–95; 6. Epilogue: optics as a mirror of eighteenth-century science; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...this book with its rich factual material and thought provoking ideas is a valuable contribution to the history of science." Nahum Kipnis, Technology and Culture

From the Publisher