NATS 1720 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Geometrical Optics, Protractor, Deductive Reasoning
6 Jan 2018
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Topics to be discussed in the winter term (dealing with light): geometrical optics, wave nature of light, quantum nature of light, vision and colour, speed of light (special relativity) Note: history of light will not be part of the test or exam! A brief history of the study of light and light perception. Pythagoras (c. 582 bc-c. 497 bc) believed light came from visible" things and our eyes perceived the tiny particles of light. Empedocles (500 bc) credited with being the originator of the idea of the four elements. Earth, fire, water, air (and two moving forces, water and strife) held that the eyes were imbued with the fire element which allowed vision. Hypothesized that the fire interacted with something (i. e. light) that was projected by luminous objects such as the sun, flames, etc. Proposed that light traveled at a finite speed.
