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Physical Science - Week 13

Newton and Descartes separately conducted experiments using prisms to study the emergence of light and colors. Descartes explained that light particles of different rotational speeds would change speed differently when passing through a prism, causing the separation of colors. Newton observed that red light refracted the least while violet refracted the most when passing through a prism, due to differences in the mass of the color particles, with higher mass particles refracting less. Both contributed significantly to the early understanding of the nature and properties of light.

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Mary Joy Llosa Redulla
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370 views26 pages

Physical Science - Week 13

Newton and Descartes separately conducted experiments using prisms to study the emergence of light and colors. Descartes explained that light particles of different rotational speeds would change speed differently when passing through a prism, causing the separation of colors. Newton observed that red light refracted the least while violet refracted the most when passing through a prism, due to differences in the mass of the color particles, with higher mass particles refracting less. Both contributed significantly to the early understanding of the nature and properties of light.

Uploaded by

Mary Joy Llosa Redulla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Emergence and

Properties of Light
The Emergence of Light:
Newton and Descartes

Separately, they conducted experiments using a


prism to explain the emergence of the colors of
light upon passing it.
Rene Descartes’s View on the Emergence of
Colors of Light

Rene Descartes was a French philosopher,


mathematician, and scientist who first studied
and explained the concept of refraction.

In one of his experiments, he produced a


rainbow by using a water-filled glass sphere
and sunlight.
Rene Descartes’s View on the
Emergence of Colors of Light

• Plenum - invisible substance that permeated the


universe. He pictured the particles of plenum as
tiny balls which were in contact, and rotating with
the same speed.
• He explained that when these particles passed
through the prism and encountered a slit on the
edge, their rotational speed would change.
Sir Isaac Newton’s View on the
Emergence of Colors of Light

His studies included the emergence of


colors as light passed through a
prism.
In his experiment, he saw that the
red light refracted the least while
the violet light refracted the most.
This difference in refraction occurred
due to the differences in the mass of
the colors of light.
Sir Isaac Newton’s View on the
Emergence of Colors of Light

• Newton believed that particles of matter exert equal


force to the particles of light regardless of its color.
• He then explained that when light particles passed
through an interface of matter, the colors of light
which have different mass and inertia will be
deflected at varying degrees. He noted that particles
with greater mass and inertia are deflected less
when acted upon by the same force.
When a light wave strikes an object, it can
be absorbed, reflected, or refracted by
the object.
Types of Reflection

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