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Opticks

by Isaac Newton

Length: 102,974 words, about 412 pages, about 7 hours to read

Science and nature

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Observations concerning the Reflexions, Refractions, and Colours of thin transparent Bodies.

It has been observed by others, that transparent Substances, as Glass, Water, Air, &c. when made very thin by being blown into Bubbles, or otherwise formed into Plates, do exhibit various Colours according to their various thinness, altho' at a greater thickness they appear very clear and colourless. In the former Book I forbore to treat of these Colours, because they seemed of a more difficult Consideration, and were not necessary for establishing the Properties of Light there discoursed of. But because they may conduce to farther Discoveries for compleating the Theory of Light, especially as to the constitution of the parts of natural Bodies, on which their Colours or Transparency depend; I have here set down an account of them. To render this Discourse short and distinct, I have first described the principal of my Observations, and then consider'd and made use of them. The Observations are these.

Obs. 1.

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Observations concerning the Reflexions, Refractions, and Colours of thin transparent Bodies.

Obs. 17. If a Bubble be blown with Water first made tenacious by dissolving a little Soap in it, 'tis a common Observation, that after a while it will appear tinged with a great variety of Colours. To defend these Bubbles from being agitated by the external Air (whereby their Colours are irregularly moved one among another, so that no accurate Observation can be made of them,) as soon as I had blown any of them I cover'd it with a clear Glass, and by that means its Colours emerged in a very regular order, like so many concentrick Rings encompassing the top of the Bubble. And as the Bubble grew thinner by the continual subsiding of the Water, these Rings dilated slowly and overspread the whole Bubble, descending in order to the bottom of it, where they vanish'd successively. In the mean while, after all the Colours were emerged at the top, there grew in the center of the Rings a small round black Spot, like that in the first Observation, which continually dilated it self till it became sometimes more than 1/2 or 3/4 of an Inch in breadth before the Bubble broke. At first I thought there had been no Light reflected from the Water in that place, but observing it more curiously, I saw within it several smaller round Spots, which appeared much blacker and darker than the rest, whereby I knew that there was some Reflexion at the other places which were not so dark as those Spots.

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10 of the best lines

My Design in this Book is not to explain the Properties of Light by Hypotheses, but to propose and prove them by Reason and Experiments: In order to which I shall premise the following Definitions and Axioms.

PART I.Keep reading from here

So that 'tis a wonder, that Telescopes represent Objects so distinct as they do.

PROP. VII. Theor. VI.Keep reading from here

The Colours of Bubbles with which Children play are various, and change their Situation variously, without any respect to any Confine or Shadow.

PROP. I. Theor. I.Keep reading from here

For the Rays to speak properly are not coloured. In them there is nothing else than a certain Power and Disposition to stir up a Sensation of this or that Colour.

DEFINITION.Keep reading from here

Every Body reflects the Rays of its own Colour more copiously than the rest, and from their excess and predominance in the reflected Light has its Colour.

PROP. X. Prob. V.Keep reading from here

Do not Bodies act upon Light at a distance, and by their action bend its Rays; and is not this action (cæteris paribus) strongest at the least distance?

PART I.Keep reading from here

Was the Eye contrived without Skill in Opticks, and the Ear without Knowledge of Sounds?

PART I.Keep reading from here

The changing of Bodies into Light, and Light into Bodies, is very conformable to the Course of Nature, which seems delighted with Transmutations.

PART I.Keep reading from here

So that a Particle of Salt may be compared to a Chaos; being dense, hard, dry, and earthy in the Center; and rare, soft, moist, and watry in the Circumference.

PART I.Keep reading from here

Some other Principle was necessary for putting Bodies into Motion; and now they are in Motion, some other Principle is necessary for conserving the Motion.

PART I.Keep reading from here

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Contents

All 102 parts
  1. OR, A
  2. TREATISE
  3. OF THE
  4. Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours
  5. OF
  6. LIGHT.
  7. The Fourth Edition, corrected.
  8. SIR ISAAC NEWTON'S ADVERTISEMENTS
  9. Advertisement I
  10. Advertisement II
  11. Advertisement to this Fourth Edition
  12. THE FIRST BOOK OF OPTICKS
  13. PART I.
  14. DEFINITIONS
  15. DEFIN. I.
  16. DEFIN. II.
  17. DEFIN. III.
  18. DEFIN. IV.
  19. DEFIN. V.
  20. DEFIN. VI.
  21. DEFIN. VII
  22. DEFIN. VIII.
  23. AXIOMS.
  24. AX. I.
  25. AX. II.
  26. AX. III.
  27. AX. IV.
  28. AX. V.
  29. AX. VI.
  30. AX. VII.
  31. AX. VIII.
  32. FOOTNOTES:
  33. PROPOSITIONS.
  34. PROP. I. Theor. I.
  35. PROP. II. Theor. II.
  36. PROP. III. Theor. III.
  37. PROP. IV. Prob. I.
  38. PROP. V. Theor. IV.
  39. PROP. VI. Theor. V.
  40. PROP. VII. Theor. VI.
  41. PROP. VIII. Prob. II.
  42. FOOTNOTES:
  43. THE FIRST BOOK OF OPTICKS
  44. PART II.
  45. PROP. I. Theor. I.
  46. PROP. II. Theor. II.
  47. DEFINITION.
  48. PROP. III. Prob. I.
  49. PROP. IV. Theor. III.
  50. PROP. V. Theor. IV.
  51. PROP. VI. Prob. II.
  52. PROP. VII. Theor. V.
  53. PROP. VIII. Prob. III.
  54. PROP. IX. Prob. IV.
  55. PROP. X. Prob. V.
  56. PROP. XI. Prob. VI.
  57. FOOTNOTES:
  58. THE
  59. SECOND BOOK
  60. OF
  61. PART I.
  62. Observations concerning the Reflexions, Refractions, and Colours of thin transparent Bodies.
  63. THE
  64. SECOND BOOK
  65. OF
  66. OPTICKS PART II.
  67. Remarks upon the foregoing Observations.
  68. The thickness of colour'd Plates and Particles of
  69. THE
  70. SECOND BOOK
  71. OF
  72. PART III.
  73. Of the permanent Colours of natural Bodies, and the Analogy between them and the Colours of thin transparent Plates.
  74. Prop. I.
  75. Prop. II.
  76. Prop. III.
  77. Prop. IV.
  78. Prop. V.
  79. Prop. VI.
  80. Prop. VII.
  81. Prop. VIII.
  82. Prop. IX.
  83. Prop. X.
  84. Prop. XI.
  85. Prop. XII.
  86. DEFINITION.
  87. Prop. XIII.
  88. Prop. XIV.
  89. Prop. XV.
  90. Prop. XVI.
  91. Prop. XVII.
  92. Prop. XVIII.
  93. Prop. XIX.
  94. Prop. XX.
  95. THE
  96. SECOND BOOK
  97. OF
  98. PART IV.
  99. THE
  100. THIRD BOOK
  101. OF
  102. PART I.

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About this edition

Text from Project Gutenberg. In the public domain in the USA. The Project Gutenberg License is kept inside the file. Every passage and line on this page is the book's own words, checked against the text.