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Properties of Light - Experiments with a shutter

Experiments with a shutter

Isaac Newton (1642–1727), a brilliant English mathematician, had just received his bachelor's degree at the University of Cambridge when the bubonic plague hit Great Britain. Because the plague spread faster in cities, Newton continued his graduate studies for two years at his countryside home. During this time, he conducted many experiments. Early in 1666, Newton darkened his room and made a small hole in his shutters. After positioning a triangular glass prism in front of

this small beam of sunlight, he noticed a band of colors called a spectrum. He concluded that when the light hit the prism, it was bent, or refracted,The bending of light rays as they pass at an angle from one transparent or clear medium into a second one of different density. to form many colors. He demonstrated how the colors in sunlight could be...

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