Buch, Englisch, 253 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 568 g
Conceptions of the Nature of Light, 1700 1795
Buch, Englisch, 253 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 568 g
ISBN: 978-0-521-40471-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press
According to received historiography, the fundamental issue in eighteenth-century optics was whether light could be understood as the emission of particles, or as the motion of waves in a subtle medium. Moreover, the emission theory of light was supposed to have been dominant in the eighteenth century, backed by Newton's physical arguments. This picture is enriched and qualified by focusing on the origins, contents and reception of the wave theory of light, published by Leonhard Euler in 1746, here studied in depth for the first time. Contrary to what has been assumed, the particle-wave debate only starts with Euler. When the emission view of light suddenly became dominant in Germany around 1795, it was new chemical experiments that proved crucial. Reflecting on the mathematical, experimental and metaphysical aspects of physical optics, a general picture of early modern science is outlined in the epilogue to the book.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Naturwissenschaften Physik Elektromagnetismus Optik
- Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Geschichte der Psychologie
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Human- und Sozialwissenschaften
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik
- Naturwissenschaften Chemie Chemie Allgemein Geschichte der Chemie
- Naturwissenschaften Physik Physik Allgemein Geschichte der Physik
- Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte
Weitere Infos & Material
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.
