33O ON LIGHT. 



screen illuminated by light emanating from a single 

 bright point o (Fig. 10), from which is propagated a series 

 of equidistant spherical waves corresponding to light of 

 any one refrangibility, and therefore distant from each 

 other by one entire undulation of such light (say, to fix 

 our ideas, a 5o,oooth of an inch). If o P be joined, inter- 

 secting the surface of any one such wave, at a given 

 distance, o A from o in A ; PA will be the shortest line 

 that can be drawn from P to that surface. Suppose, 

 now, we take on either side of A a series of points B, b; 

 c, c; D, d, &c., progressively more distant (by pairs) 

 from P than A is, by i, 2, 3, &c., hundred-thousandths 

 of an inch, or semi-undulations of the light under con- 

 sideration; and let the whole figure be conceived as 

 turned round on o P as an axis. Then these points will 

 mark off on the spherical surface of the wave, a central 

 circular area (call it the area A), and a series of con- 

 centric rings or rather zones of the waves (call them in 

 succession B, c, D, &c.), surrounding it, like those repre- 

 sented in Fig. 7, from every point in each one of which 

 the light sent to P will reach it in more or less discord- 

 ance of phase, with that which reaches it from the next 

 in succession. Thus if all the vibrations propagated 

 from the central circle (A) arrive at P in a phase of com- 

 pression, all these simultaneously reaching it from the 

 zone (B) will arrive in a phase of expansion, all from 

 (c) again in one of compression, and so on alternately. 

 Now if the distance A P of P from the wave be anything 

 considerable, suppose a few feet or even inches, it 

 will be enormously great in proportion to one semi- 



