We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
I have also a paper afloat, with an electromagnetic theory of light, which, till I am convinced to the contrary, I hold to be great guns.
James Clerk Maxwell, in a letter to his friend, C.H. Cay, January 5, 1865.The electric field
Let us recall the plan we adopted at the close of section 3.1:
(a) Learn about waves.
(b) Find that light does indeed have a wave-like character.
(c) Learn what the “something” is out of which light waves are formed.
In subsequent sections, we found that waves do have the properties of reflection and refraction that light possesses. Then we shifted perspective and found that light has the property of interference that waves possess. In short, chapters 3 and 4 taught us that light does indeed have a wave-like character.
Before we can address part (c) of the plan, we need to know certain aspects of electricity and magnetism. So we turn now to those twin subjects.
Sometimes, when you pull a sweater off over your head on a day when the air is particularly dry (perhaps indoors in winter), you hear a crackling sound and may even feel an electric spark. The frictional rubbing of the sweater on your shirt or blouse separates some electric charges, one from another; the crackling and the spark are a miniature form of thunder and lightning.
More deliberate rubbing of two different objects separates electric charges more effectively.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
