Summary
"The Periodic Table: A New Look (1980)" presents a revised perspective on the periodic table, focusing on specific scientific discoveries and theories related to motion, optics, and celestial observation. The book details early astronomical observations and their interpretations, such as Flamsteed's conclusions about star positions and apparent motions, and Bradley and Molyneux's investigation into the apparent motion of stars, proposing concepts like "nutation of the axis" and "variation of latitude" to explain celestial phenomena. It also explores principles of optics, including the concept of "dispersive power" and the mathematics behind achromatism in lenses, using analogies to illustrate concepts like the aberration of light.
The work touches on the history of scientific communication and understanding, referencing early encyclopedic entries and the popularization of medical science by figures like Dr. George Cheyne, who advocated for treatments based on diet and purging for local diseases. Through these varied examples, the book illustrates how scientific ideas evolve and are re-examined, from the empirical observations of celestial bodies to the theoretical underpinnings of optical instruments and their limitations, such as Newton's failure to achieve achromatism with single lenses.
Key concepts
- Nutation of the axis — A hypothesized oscillation of the Earth's axis where the axis is not directed towards a fixed point in the heavens, though the poles' geographical positions remain constant.
- Variation of latitude — A phenomenon associated with the shifting of the Earth's axis within the Earth, meaning the geographical position of the North Pole varies.
- Aberration of light — An optical phenomenon explained by the progressive motion of the observer with the Earth, illustrated by analogies of falling rain in a moving tube or carriage.
- Dispersive power — A measure (represented by ν) related to the change in refractive index (dn) and the lens's optical power (dφ), crucial for understanding achromatism.
- Achromatism — The principle of creating optical systems, particularly lenses, that do not exhibit color fringes by combining lenses with different dispersive powers and refractive indices.
From the book
For other versions of this work, see Encyclopædia Britannica . ← 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica ( 1911 ) Title page → related portals : Reference Works Shortcut : EB11 or EB1911 Notes on reading the Wikisource edition . A special disclaimer for this project . Collaboration page for contributors . 12543 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 Table of contents This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works . Public domain Public domain false false← Alabama 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 "Alabama" Arbitration by Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe Alabama River → See also Alabama Claims on…
He is commonly known as Rab.← Abbadie, Jakob 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 'Abbahu Abba Mari → See also Abbahu on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 12925 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — 'Abbahu ʼABBAHU, the name of a Palestinian ʼamora ( q.v. ) who flourished c . 279–320. ʼAbbahu encouraged the study of Greek by Jews. He was famous as a collector of traditional lore, and is very often cited in the Talmud.
He was author of Quaestiones ( Sheiltoth ), a collection of homilies (at once learned and popular) on Jewish law and ethics. This is recorded to have been the first work written by a Jewish scholar after the completion of the Talmud.← Alphabet 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 'Al-phasi, Isaac Alphege, Saint → See also Isaac Alfasi on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 1202415 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — 'Al-phasi, Isaac ’AL-PHASI, ISAAC (1013–1103), Jewish rabbi and codifier, known as Riph , was born near Fez in 1013 and died at Lucena in 1103. ’Al-Phasi means the “man of Fez” (medieval Jews were often named after their birthplaces). He was forced to leave Fez when an old man of 75, being accused on some unknown political charge. He then…
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