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The experiment belongs to a general class of "double path" experiments, in which a wave is split into two separate waves (the wave is typically made of many photons and better referred to as a wave front, not to be confused with the wave properties of the individual photon) that later combine into a single wave.
Rather, the Opticks is a study of the nature of light and colour and the various phenomena of diffraction, which Newton called the "inflexion" of light. Newton sets forth in full his experiments, first reported to the Royal Society of London in 1672, [2] on dispersion, or the separation of light into a spectrum of its component
Sir Isaac Newton (/ ˈ nj uː t ən /; 4 January [O.S. 25 December] 1643 – 31 March [O.S. 20 March] 1727) [a] was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. [5] Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. [6]
Newton's corpuscular theory was an elaboration of his view of reality as interactions of material points through forces. Note Albert Einstein's description of Newton's conception of physical reality: [Newton's] physical reality is characterised by concepts of space, time, the material point and force (interaction between material points).
Young's famous double slit experiment showed that light followed the superposition principle, which is a wave-like property not predicted by Newton's corpuscle theory. This work led to a theory of diffraction for light and opened an entire area of study in physical optics. [ 27 ]
This experiment has become a classic example of the methodology introduced during the scientific revolution. The results of the experiment dramatically transformed the field of metaphysics, leading to John Locke's primary vs secondary quality distinction. [citation needed] Newton discussed prism dispersion in great detail in his book Opticks. [6]
Newton for Beginners, republished as Introducing Newton, is a 1993 graphic study guide to the Isaac Newton and classical physics written and illustrated by William Rankin. The volume, according to the publisher's website, "explains the extraordinary ideas of a man who [...] single-handedly made enormous advances in mathematics, mechanics and optics," and, "was also a secret heretic, a mystic ...
Unlike the modern double-slit experiment, Young's experiment reflects sunlight (using a steering mirror) through a small hole, and splits the thin beam in half using a paper card. [6] [10] [11] He also mentions the possibility of passing light through two slits in his description of the experiment: Modern illustration of the double-slit experiment