Newtonian optics
E4687
Newtonian optics is the branch of physics developed by Isaac Newton that explains light primarily as a stream of particles to account for reflection, refraction, and color phenomena.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
branch of physics
→
historical theory of light → optical theory → |
| appliedIn |
lens design (historically)
→
mirror design (historically) → telescope design → |
| associatedWork |
Opticks
→
|
| assumes |
change of speed at media boundaries causes refraction
→
light travels in straight lines in homogeneous media → |
| basedOn |
corpuscular theory of light
→
|
| contrastedWith |
Huygenian optics
→
wave theory of light → |
| developedBy |
Isaac Newton
→
|
| explains |
color phenomena
→
dispersion of light → formation of rainbows → prism experiments → reflection of light → refraction of light → |
| field |
physics
→
|
| followedBy |
Maxwellian electromagnetism
→
quantum optics → wave optics → |
| historicalImportance |
foundation of classical optical science in the 17th century
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
17th century
→
early 18th century → |
| influenced |
classical optics
→
development of ray optics → |
| influencedBy |
geometrical optics
→
|
| keyExperiment |
prism decomposition of white light
→
recombination of spectrum into white light → |
| keyFigure |
Isaac Newton
→
|
| precededBy |
early geometrical theories of vision
→
|
| relatedTo |
Newtonian mechanics
→
classical mechanics → |
| status |
superseded in fundamental description of light
→
|
| stillUsedFor |
approximate ray description of light paths
→
|
| subfieldOf |
classical physics
→
optics → |
| treatsLightAs |
corpuscles
→
stream of particles → |
| usesConcept |
Snell’s law of refraction
→
laws of reflection → rays of light → |
| viewOnColor |
color as an intrinsic property of light
→
white light as mixture of different colors → |
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Isaac Newton
→
|
knownFor |