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(3) READING 38A

Внимательно посмотрите на схему, представляю­щую две хорошо известные теории света. Подумай­те, что вы могли бы сказать о них, не читая текста. Затем прочитайте текст и проверьте свое предполо­жение.

^__^-shadows/reflection «—corpuscular theory

Light experiraents-<^"^

"*•- diffraction/interference «»-wave theory

THEORIES OF LIGHT

Optics is one of ancient sciences, but it was only at the end of the seventeenth century that scientists began to understand the nature of light. Two theories of light were developed at about the same time, the corpuscular [koi'pAskjula] by Newton and the wave theory by a Dutch physicist named Huyghens. Largely due to Newton's great prestige and to the Tack of observed evidence of diffrac­tion of light, the corpuscular theory was initially the one accepted by most scientists.

In developing his theory Newton made plenty of ex­periments with shadow formation and reflection.

The figure represents light particles leaving a source S in many different directions. Because of the barrier no particles will hit the screen between points A and B.

Using the terminology of the corpuscular theory of light, the part of the screen between A and В is in a shadow because no light particles from S strike it. The corpuscular theory explains the formation of shadows and provides a reasonable explanation of the law of reflection. And so according to the corpuscular theory a beam of light is a collection of very small particles travelling at high speed. A beam of such particles shining on a re­flecting surface is similar to the molecules of a gas bom­barding the walls of a container.

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