Nova theoria lucis et colorum

English Title

A new theory of light and colors

Authors

Leonhard Euler

Enestrom Number

88

Fuss Index

685

Original Language

Latin

Content Summary

The Nova Theoria was a highly influential tract in the study of physical optics. Casper Hakfoort's Optics in the Age of Euler (Cambridge University Press, 1995) provides a detailed study of this work, along with several of Euler's papers on optics. He demonstrates the importance of the Nova Theoria, going so far as to show that the wave-particle duality debate in optics really began with Euler's publication of this work. As noted by Hakfoort, "When Leonhard Euler published [E88] in 1746, he made a contribution to the medium [i.e., wave] tradition in physics optics that was without parallel in the eighteenth century. The Nova Theoria constitutes the most lucid, comprehensive, and systematic medium theory of that century."

Published as

Collection article

Published Date

1746

Written Date

1744

Original Source Citation

Opuscula varii argumenti, Volume 1, pp. 169-244.

Opera Omnia Citation

Series 3, Volume 5, pp.1-45.

Record Created

2018-09-25