Opticks
by Isaac Newton
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1704
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 400 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOpticksDover, 1952The fourth edition of 1730, with prefaces by Einstein and Whittaker and Cohen's introduction; still the standard reprint.
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Newton's account of his experiments on light, written in English and organised around what he did rather than what he proved. Book I shows by prism experiments that white light is a mixture of rays of different colours, each with its own refrangibility. Book II examines the colours of thin films, now called Newton's rings, and Book III the bending of light at edges. The book ends with the Queries, a series of speculations on the nature of light, matter, chemistry, gravity and God that shaped a century of science.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Opticks are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
