Treatise on Light
Treatise on Light was published in 1690 and is probably the largest scientific volume on light published before Newton's Opticks. The book explains how light travels (i.e., that it has a certain velocity), and what happens when it hits a surface (refraction and reflection). A large portion of the book is devoted to the double refraction occurring in Iceland chrystal, and all drawn conclusions are proved geometrically.
Christiaan Huygens (1629 - 1695) was a prominent physicist and astronomer. His main discoveries are the centrifugal force, collision laws for bodies and the argument that light consists of waves. He was a contemporary of Galilei and Descartes, and a member of the French Royal Society since 1663. (Summary by Availle)
Genre(s): Nature, Astronomy, Physics & Mechanics
Language: English
| Section | Chapter | Reader | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Play 00 | Preface and Note by the Translator | Availle |
00:09:27 |
| Play 01 | I: On Rays Propagated in Straight Lines, Part 1 | Availle |
00:23:13 |
| Play 02 | I: On Rays Propagated in Straight Lines, Part 2 | Availle |
00:21:10 |
| Play 03 | II: On Reflexion | Availle |
00:12:14 |
| Play 04 | III: On Refraction, Part 1 | Availle |
00:13:04 |
| Play 05 | III: On Refraction, Part 2 | Availle |
00:23:38 |
| Play 06 | IV: On the Refraction of the Air | Availle |
00:13:42 |
| Play 07 | V: On the Strange Refraction of Iceland Chrystal, Part 1 | Availle |
00:22:17 |
| Play 08 | V: On the Strange Refraction of Iceland Chrystal, Part 2 | Availle |
00:40:05 |
| Play 09 | V: On the Strange Refraction of Iceland Chrystal, Part 3 | Availle |
00:29:05 |
| Play 10 | V: On the Strange Refraction of Iceland Chrystal, Part 4 | Availle |
00:26:12 |
| Play 11 | VI: On the Figures of the Transparent Bodies, Part 1 | Availle |
00:21:42 |
| Play 12 | VI: On the Figures of the Transparent Bodies, Part 2 | Availle |
00:27:32 |