The second of Newton's major writings on physical science was the Opticks, first published in 1704. This work represents a major contribution to science, different from-but in some ways rivaling-the Principia. The Opticks is largely a record of experiments and the deductions made from them, covering a wide range of topics in what was later to be known as physical optics. That is, this work is not a geometric discussion of catoptrics or dioptrics, the traditional subjects of reflection of light by mirrors of different shapes and the exploration of how light is "bent" as it passes from one medium, such as air, into another, such as water or glass. Rather, the Opticks is a study of the nature of light and color and the various phenomena of diffraction, which Newton called the "inflexion" of light.




 


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