Lenses and Waves

Christiaan Huygens and the Mathematical Science of Optics in the Seventeenth Century

Fokko Jan Dijksterhuis (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

289 Seiten

2004
Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
978-1-4020-2697-3 (ISBN)

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In 1690, Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) published Traité de la Lumière, containing his renowned wave theory of light. It is considered a landmark in seventeenth-century science, for the way Huygens mathematized the corpuscular nature of light and his probabilistic conception of natural knowledge. This book discusses the development of Huygens' wave theory, reconstructing the winding road that eventually led to Traité de la Lumière. For the first time, the full range of manuscript sources is taken into account. In addition, the development of Huygens' thinking on the nature of light is put in the context of his optics as a whole, which was dominated by his lifelong pursuit of theoretical and practical dioptrics. In so doing, this book offers the first account of the development of Huygens' mathematical analysis of lenses and telescopes and its significance for the origin of the wave theory of light. As Huygens applied his mathematical proficiency to practical issues pertaining to telescopes – including trying to design a perfect telescope by means of mathematical theory – his dioptrics is significant for our understanding of seventeenth-century relations between theory and practice. With this full account of Huygens' optics, this book sheds new light on the history of seventeenth-century optics and the rise of the new mathematical sciences, as well as Huygens' oeuvre as a whole. Students of the history of optics, of early mathematical physics, and the Scientific Revolution, will find this book enlightening.

From the contents: 1. Introduction – 'The perfect Cartesian'.- 2. 1653 – 'Tractatus'.- 3. 1655-1672 – 'De Aberratione'.- 4. The 'Project' of 1672.- 5. 1677-1679 – Waves of Light.- 6. 1690 – Traité de la Lumière.- 7. Conclusion: Lenses & Waves.- List of figures.- Bibliography.- Index.

Erscheint lt. Verlag	3.9.2004
Reihe/Serie	Archimedes ; 9
Zusatzinfo	IX, 289 p.
Verlagsort	New York, NY
Sprache	englisch
Maße	156 x 232 mm
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften
	Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Optik
	Sozialwissenschaften
ISBN-10	1-4020-2697-8 / 1402026978
ISBN-13	978-1-4020-2697-3 / 9781402026973
Zustand	Neuware